Back to Normal
by Fan199578
Summary: It happens to the best of them. After a few months away from each other, the Swans reunite. But Fate is cruel and doesn't give them much of a chance. But what of Bella?
1. Turn of Events

_**Hey Guys!**_

_**Now, Some of my older readers will notice that this story has undergone a revamp ;). Now after about a year of uninspiration, I've continued writing this story. For the past few days, I've been going back and editing, tweeking, adding and taking away. Hopefully this is for the better. I know some of you will worry that the story has changed seeing as the number of chapters has dyrastically gone down. On the contrary, the story has grown, it's just that the chapters have been made bigger. I'm hoping that this will make them easier to read. To my newer readers (Be there any of you), Hi! You're lucky enough to have missed on the craziness that was this past 1-2 years of promising updates! When you've finished reading I would appreciate a review. Older readers: if you could tell me what you like/don't like about the changes I've made, both to the story and to the Chapters that would be awesome!**_

_**To everyone: Enjoy!**_

_Chapter One: Turn of Events_

_Point of Views: Bella, Carlisle and Jasper_

Bella POV:

It didn't happen on a dark on stormy night, it was a one of those rare sunny days in forks. I still don't understand why it happened; everything seemed to finally be falling into place.

"Bella? Have you unpacked all your things yet?" I heard my mum yell from downstairs.

"Almost! I've got less than half a box left!" I yelled back.

"Well, hurry up! We're going to the store in 5 minutes!" yelled Renee "We won't wait for you!"

I snorted softly; they wouldn't leave me here by myself.

I sorted through the few remaining items in the cardboard box. There was this year's calendar, a few fluff bunnies – "How did they get in here?"- And an old photo album.

I placed the photo album in my desk draw and hung the calendar on the back of the door. Grinning at the image of five puppies playing together with the word _June_ written in fancy writing, I turned to survey my room, making sure everything was put away. When I was satisfied I grabbed the empty boxes that were piled next to the door and climbed down the stairs.

"I'm ready! Just give me a minute to put these boxes in the bin!" I called from the stairs.

"Okay, we'll wait for you in the car!" came Renee's reply from the lounge room.

A moment later, I heard my dad's heavy footfalls, along with my mother lighter ones, headed towards the front door.

I hurriedly threw the boxes out, grabbed my jacket and made my way out to my dad's cruiser. I stumbled a few times, but managed to make it to the car without falling.

"You okay?" My dad Charlie asked worriedly when I managed to get into the back of the car. I knew he was worried, knowing perfectly well how clumsy I was, especially seeing as I didn't get it from mum's side.

"Yep, I didn't fall this time" I grinned.

"That's a first!" laughed Renee.

After a few more laughs at my expense, we headed out of the driveway. As usual with car rides, I drifted off into my own world, staring out the window and at the trees that flashed by.

The last few weeks had hectic. No, the last few **months** had been hectic. About half way through last year, my parents went on trail separation.

They'd not been getting along very well and were arguing a lot. They tried to keep me out of it, but I still _knew_. They weren't the same to each other, they hid it well, but I could see they were pretending. Sometimes, late at night when I was counting sheep, I could hear them arguing. At first they were short and quiet, but they gradually grew. Occasionally these arguments would lead me to wake up to an empty home (Charlie having gone to work early, and Renee having left a note apologising generously saying she'd had to go run an errand).

A month after the arguments started, mum and I moved out. I didn't want to leave my dad, but mum promised they'd work it out so I spent time with them equally.

Soon, mum started dating again, but it didn't work out. She explained to me that when she went out with a man, she'd see qualities in him that reminded her of Charlie, _good_ qualities _Charlie_ had.

With a few mild suggestions from me, mum arranged a date with dad, trying to start from scratch, you know?

Before I knew it mum and dad were back to their old selves. And a few days ago we moved back in. Now instead of spending a week with dad and a week with mum, I'll be spending everyday with both of them.

As I stared pensively out the window, I listened to my parents talk. Renee was trying to convince Charlie to come Skydiving with her. It wasn't working.

"Come on! It'll be fun! Just the two of us!" pleaded Renee.

"What about Bella?"

"I'll sleep over a friend's house" I piped up.

"There, see? She'll be fine!" squealed mum.

"Well, I don't know-" Charlie started, but he was interrupted by the sound of screeching tires.

The car in front of us had skidded out of control on a patch of frozen road and was headed right for us. Charlie tried to manoeuvre out of the way, but it was too late, the other car was coming too fast. It hit our car with the force of an atomic bomb and sent us spinning.

Charlie fought frantically with the wheel, but was unable to get even a smidgen of control. The cruiser hit several trees and flipped over.

I saw my parents airbags deploy, and hoped to god they were okay. Everything was just starting to get better. It wasn't fair. How could this happen? I gasped as my head hit the window, forcing all rational thought out of my mind as we slid along the road in a deadly dance.

The car finally came to a stop on its roof. Groaning, I carefully unbuckled my seatbelt and slid to the ground. I saw Charlie turn towards me.

"Are you okay?" he rasped.

"I-I think so…"I replied shakily."Are you?"

"I don't think so angel…I love you" he whispered.

"Don't say that, we'll be fine, you'll see. Things just started getting better…"

Charlie shook his head slightly.

"You have to promise me something-" he said quietly, cutting off in a bout of coughs. I noticed with terror that there was blood pooling at the edge of his lips.

"Anything." I promised.

"You have to go on with your life, no matter what. Okay? Always remember that your mother and I love you." He said weakly.

"You'll be fine, dad. Don't talk like that." I said.

"**Promise me!**" he said urgently.

For a moment I stared into his frantic eyes, noticing that they were dulling.

"I-I-I promise" I sobbed.

He smiled weakly and closed his eyes.

"Dad? Dad! Come on, Dad. Wake up. You have to... Please" I cried. "You can't leave me…"

It couldn't be. This kind of stuff doesn't really happen outside of movies.

"No."

It wasn't fair. I just got them back. This wasn't happening. I was dreaming. I could smell blood, both my own and that of my parents.

"No...Dad get up! Mum? Mum!"I yelled.

Someone was screaming. I looked over towards the other car and realized it was aflame. There was a man inside it, screaming. He was burning.

"Oh God, I have to help him, I have to…" the smell blood was making me dizzy, I couldn't breathe. Suddenly I found myself on the roof of the cruiser, looking into my mother's lifeless eyes…

Carlisle POV:

Jasper wasn't dealing well. My newest son was having trouble adjusting to our lifestyle. He tried, but changing a century old habit is difficult.

While at school, Jasper suffered. But there was nothing we could do; we had to keep up the charade. The little that we could do to help Jasper deal with the temptation was keep him well 'fed' at all times.

At the moment, Jasper and I were out hunting. Today had been especially hard for him, while dissecting a frog in science; a student had cut herself, spilling blood all over the table. Jasper had to leave the room without explanation.

I'd have to call up the school and make something up...

We went hunting as soon as he got home. My poor son, if only there was an easier, more effective way to help him.

Jasper, with his empathic abilities, could sense what I was thinking, but chose not to comment and continued stalking his bear.

I sighed, my family was complicated. I let my senses range out, trying to find the herd of Elk Alice had seen.

The mouth watering scent hit me at the same time it hit Jasper.

"Don't breathe!" I shouted at him, effective scaring off the Bear.

Jasper complied immediately, but it was too late, he was already being pulled forward by the delicious smell. He couldn't stop if he wanted to.

Without a backward glance at me, he raced off in the direction of the blood. I chased after him, hoping to God Alice had seen this and sent the boys.

Jasper ran at full speed, barely aware of me trying to catch up to him. Several times I caught up to him, but he snarled, threw me off and ran faster, putting more strength into his stride.

After a minute the scent got closer, in a few seconds it was upon us.

I stepped out of the forest and onto the scene of a terrible accident. Two cars were visible, one in flames, the other on its roof, its skyward facing tires still spinning slightly.

From the burning vehicle came the scent of burnt human flesh. I'd seen house fire victims who smelt the same way, they were beyond help.

I glanced at the other car; it looked as if no one could have possibly survived. But the tell tale sign of a beating heart told me otherwise.

Kneeling beside the wreckage was Jasper. I quickly ran over to him, expecting to find him draining the life from the only survivor of the crash.

"N-no"

I stopped and looked around, expecting to find some else lying amongst the debris.

"No, it's a dream" came the voice. I rushed over to Jasper, realizing the survivor must be begging him to stop.

"It's okay. It'll be okay." whispered Jasper.

I stared at him, his eyes in particular. They were still a golden, although they threatened to turn a consuming onyx, they held not even a fleck of crimson, for which I was glad. Jasper noticed my examination, shrugged and turned back to the human.

"What's your name?" he asked gently.

"B-Bella. Bella Swan…T-t-they're all gone aren't they?" she stuttered quietly. I gasped quietly as I noticed her eyes. They were a warm chocolate brown but at this time, their colour was not their most transfixing aspect. She was staring at Jasper determinedly, fear, pain and knowing reflected in those beautiful orbs.

"Yes, they're all gone. I'm sorry." Jasper whispered, knowing the hurt his words would inflict.

As Bella's face broke and revealed the pain she was feeling, my medical training kicking in, I gently pushed Jasper out of the way.

"Quickly, go home" I told him quietly.

"I can handle it, I'm fine!" he snarled at me.

"I need you to get my medical kit and tell the others, and then you can come back. I don't doubt to you." I told him calmly. I silently begged him with my eyes to understand.

"Sorry... I'll be back" He nodded in understanding and repentance.

He ran off in the direction of the house, his feet barely touching the ground. For a moment I stared at the place he disappeared.

It was strange, Jasper had been unaffected by all the blood here, yet with the accident in class he had barely avoided killing the human girl. Perhaps it was the situation we were in called for a different reaction, but I'd seen Edward tempted by humans on their death bed at the hospital. It could have been that he wasn't breathing, but then, how had he been able to talk without oxygen? It was extremely odd; I'd have to look into this.

I was brought back to earth by the whimpers of the young girl before me. She was perhaps 13 years old but at the moment she looked no older than 9. Curled in on herself in pain she looked incredibly vulnerable.

"Bella?" I called. She jumped slightly and lifted her head to look at me.

"Bella, I'm Dr. Cullen. I'm going to help you. Now, can you move?" I asked.

She blinked at me and nodded her head slightly in both understanding and in answer of my question.

"Okay, I'm going to try and get you out of there okay? I'll need you to help me a little okay?" I said to her. Like before she nodded her head.

I leaned through the broken window and stretched out my arms to her. I flexed my fingers in a "come here" gesture. Slowly she un-wrapped her arms from her knees and shifted a little so that I could reach her.

Although the movement was only small, she winced and her eyes fluttered. Quickly I leaned further into the car, scooped her into my arms and pulled her out of the ruined police cruiser.

I gently laid her on the road, slipping off my jacket and placing it under her head as a make-shift pillow. Considering the small movement that had caused her so much pain, I was led to the conclusion that she'd broken a few ribs and possibly had a concussion considering the wound on her head.

I stared at Bella's sleeping face and found myself questioning how God could do this to such an innocent child, but then I remembered my past. God did not favour humans.

I looked around, hoping to see Jasper and the others. Where were they?

Jasper POV:

I ran as fast as I could, never slowing, always pushing myself harder, getting closer and closer to the house. I had to hurry. Bella needed help. She needed _my _help.

"Almost there" I said to myself "Just a little more"

I knew Carlisle didn't understand how I was doing it, how I had stopping myself from killing her. But I did. When Bella's scent hit me, all rational thoughts went out the window. I didn't even care that I could seriously hurt her. I had one thing on my mind, and nothing was going to change it.

Not even Carlisle's attempts to stop me. For more than a century I had been a military man. I'd seen things others could hardly imagine. Had been a part of nightmares, things I could never atone for. Here was my chance.

Someone needed my help, and there wasn't time to explain to Carlisle; he wouldn't understand regardless.

When we finally reached the site of the crash, I was hit with pain, devastation, loss and fear. I immediately looked around for the survivors, letting my senses range outward. I was surprised that I could only hear one heart fluttering feebly; I hadn't really expected there to be any survivors.

I quickly ran over to the over turned vehicle, noticing that Carlisle stepped out of the trees moments later.

I kneeled down next to the wreckage and peered through the shattered window. From inside the car, the mouth-watering smell of blood was intense, but only minutely appealing.

It's hard to explain. The blood smelt deliciously human, but it had a slight undertone to it. Similar to that of the La Push Werewolves, but more faint, less easily detected if it hadn't been for the open wound.

It was very similar to that of a predatory animal; only a little more appealing than deer and elk. Yet still delectable.

I shook my head slightly and concentrated on the people in the cruiser. The two adults, the driver and passenger were both dead. The driver was covered in blood and seemed to be in a peaceful sleep, one that he would never awaken from. The woman in the passenger seat was slumped in her seat, unmoving; she must have died on impact. Her eyes were staring lifelessly at a small figure on the roof of the car. She was curled in a foetal position, hardly moving, if I hadn't known better I would have said she too, had died.

Her "I'm dead" act was betrayed by the slight movement in her shoulders and soft heartbeat. As well as her pain wracked sobs.

"N-no" she whispered. "No, it's a dream"

"Shh, it's okay. It'll be okay" I said, wondering if she would hear me.

She flinched visibly and slowly turned to face me, at that moment I remembered Carlisle. He was standing about a meter away from me looking stunned. I could feel the curiosity, wonder and downright awe coming off him in waves.

I noticed him examining my eyes specifically, obviously expecting to find them a bright red. I shrugged at him; there was no time to explain.

It seemed strange that he hadn't noticed that the blood smelt less appealing than that of an average human. But then again, Carlisle was unaffected by human blood these days.

I turned back to the girl, noticing she had shrunk into herself, wrapping her small, pale arms around her knees and drawing them closer to herself.

Careful not to upset her, I asked her name.

"B-Bella, Bella Swan" she stuttered quietly. She was staring at me urgently, a question obviously playing on her lips.

I smiled gently in response, urging her on.

"T-t-they're all gone aren't they?" she asked me softly, obviously already knowing the answer, but wishing it weren't true.

I grimaced, trying to repress the urge to cry out under the weight of her pain, I wondered how it was she kept herself in one piece.

"Yes… they're all gone." I whispered. I could see she was about to break. "I'm sorry"

Bella finally lost her composure and gave in to her grief, her delicate face breaking and uttering small, grief-stricken sobs. I sent her a few waves of serenity, hoping to get her to fall asleep, but she was unaffected, too consumed by her anguish. It was at that moment that I noticed the rising feeling of self hatred in my chest. I had intensified her pain, when I'd come here to lift it.

"Quickly, go home" Carlisle whispered as he pushed me out of the way and took my place beside the ruined car.

Already affected by Bella's emotions, I snarled at him. How dare he stop me from helping this girl? She needed me!

"I can handle it, I'm fine!" I growled, challenging him with my eyes to oppose me.

Carlisle didn't seem fazed by my sudden outburst; he'd lived with me long enough to understand why I was acting this way.

"I need you to get my medical kit and tell the others, and then you can come back." He explained gently. He was gazing at me calmly, trying to instil a sense of approval and urgency in that one look.

"I don't doubt to you" he added.

I could feel the shame building up in me, the remorse. Carlisle wasn't at fault; he had the best interests at heart. I didn't deserve the love and trust I could feel emanating from him.

"Sorry" I whispered "I'll be back" I ran off in the direction of the house. Our exchange had taken only a matter of seconds and had been too quiet for Bella to hear.

As I ran I felt Carlisle curiosity once more. He was wondering how it was possible. After all, I was the weak link. The one that had to be kept under constant scrutiny.

I was glad when he concentrated on Bella once more, trying to extract her from the car.

I continued to run in the direction of home, recalling the events of the last few minutes, wondering what would happen next. Would I be too late? Would something terrible happen before I returned with Carlisle's medical kit?

I was suddenly sure I'd be too late.

Bella POV:

I leaned toward Dr. Cullen, wanting to get out of the car, to go anywhere as long as it was away from the smell of my parent's blood as well as my father's meaningful silence and my mother's cold and unwavering gaze.

I shifted my weight slightly so that I could pull my leg out from under me and crawl out of the car. I had only moved a fraction of an inch when a blinding pain flashed through my right side, starting at my hip and ending at my shoulder.

The pain, it was terrible, I didn't want to feel it on top of everything else, and so I instinctively flinched away from it and into darkness.

I was vaguely aware of someone picking me up and placing me on the ground, the feel of the dirt on my back and cool, soft breeze on my cheeks…

Carlisle POV:

I glanced back at Bella; she seemed to be sleeping peacefully. I kneeled down next to her and checked her over, making sure she was just unconscious, not comatose.

Although her ribs would heal quickly enough, she must be in incredible pain at this time both physically and emotionally; which explained the fainting. There was also a deep gash on her forehead surrounded by a darkening flesh that would most likely become a hideous bruise; the gash it would need about 6 stitches. As with all head wounds, it was bleeding so heavily that it appeared life threatening, but actually wasn't.

I silently kicked myself for forgetting my phone. I'd need to report the incident but I wouldn't be able to leave Bella alone.

I stood up, happy with my brief examination, and gently scooped her up, careful of her head and sides. I ran off in the same direction Jasper had a few minutes ago.

I ran slower than normal, careful not to disturb Bella and wake her up. Waking her up would be the opposite of helpful right now, considering that I was running three times faster than any Olympic athlete.

I couldn't help wonder if something had gone wrong with Jasper…


	2. Silver Lining

_**Hey Guys!**_

_**Here's chapter two for you! It's significantly longer than the first chapter and I want to ask what you (my readers) prefer. Long chapters, or short ones? Review and Enjoy!**_

_Chapter Two: Silver Lining_

_Point of Views: Jasper, Edward, Alice, Rosalie, Esme, Emmett, Carlisle and Bella_

Jasper POV:

"Almost there, almost" Faster, I had to run faster. Every second I wasted could mean a turn for the worst in Bella's condition.

Although it felt as if I had been running for days, years even, I knew it had been mere minutes. I kept getting a sense of Dai Ja Vu - _Didn't I go past that tree already? I Swear I've smelt that Squirrel before... _- but I disregarded it, all the trees looked the same, all the Squirrels smelt the same.

I wasn't lost.

The scent of the house, and the others along with it, was becoming stronger, 30 seconds more and I'd be walking through the front doors.

_Get in and get out, fast. Every second wasted could me a turn for the worst-_

"What could get worse?" someone asked.

I jumped, realizing I was in the house, running up the stairs to Carlisle's study. I'd been too lost in my thoughts to notice.

"Like I haven't heard that before." Edward muttered. He was running at my side, trying to figure out what was wrong. I quickly ran through the situation in my head, while at the same time going to Carlisle's study and grabbing his medicine bag.

I heard a sharp intake of breath from Edward's direction but didn't bother to look at him; I knew what he was going to say next.

"Just because you know, doesn't mean you shouldn't be told!" he yelled "You shouldn't go back there; you're a danger to her, more so than any car accident."

I turned and snarled at him, releasing all my pent up rage and fear. Rage at myself for not being able to help Bella, Rage at Edward for voicing my thoughts, Rage at Maria for making me a monster, Fear that I wasn't enough, Fear I wouldn't make it in time and ultimately, fear for Bella. It wasn't fair for life to be so cruel, she was still only a child, and now she had nothing left.

Edward raised an eyebrow at me wondering what I meant. _She reminds me of Alice, so small, fragile...vulnerable. When I saw her in the car all huddled in on herself, trying to avoid the pain, I-I-I couldn't handle it. I have to help her. I will NOT hurt her._

Edward nodded his head, eyes downcast; I could feel the repentance, understanding and guilt coming off of him.

Abruptly Alice stood in front of me, her small hand resting on my chest in an attempt to calm me.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, not opening them until I was in control of myself.

"There's the Gold I love…" whispered Alice, stroking my cheek gently.

I signed and smiled weakly in return. Slowly I turned to face Edward.

"Sorry" I said, hanging my head in shame "I shouldn't –"

"You have nothing to apologize for" interrupted Alice, she turned to Edward "You on the other hand, do."

I watched as his eyes widened slightly and he took an involuntary step back. I smirked; no one was scarier than Alice when she was angry, well other than Rosalie of course…

Edward glared at me, but nodded his head, agreeing with my thoughts; I grinned.

_I'd just apologize if I were you, that is, if you want to live…_ I thought, knowing full well he was listening.

"Please forgive me Jasper, I was out of place" he said, glaring murderously at me the entire time.

"It's okay" I grinned at him. I laughed at the look he returned.

"Guys!" Rosalie called from downstairs. "Carlisle's back!"

Carlisle must have left only moments after I had...or I had gotten lost and wasted time...

I bolted down the stairs, Edward and Alice at me heels. At the same moment that we reached the bottom of the stairs, the front door opened and Carlisle rushed through, Bella limp in his arms.

Oh God, I _had_ been too late.

Edward POV:

We stood in various places, hardly moving, staring at the human lying on the lounge.

_Not much I can do for a broken rib, other than painkillers, and I'll have to leave that up to her whether or not she needs or wants them. I wonder if she has any allergies? I'll have to remove those stitches, but that gash is looking better...well besides the bruise. And her ribs should be fine in about 6 weeks. She's lucky, I've seen car accident victims with much, much more severe injuries than her, live to tell the tale; she'll be fine. What else is there that I can do?_

Carlisle continued running everything through his mind, wondering if he'd missed anything, sometimes he'd take a step towards Bella, prepared to examine her again, but would start arguing with himself that she should sleep and go back to his place by the TV. He did however find medical jargon comforting. Honestly? It was annoying.

_She'll be fine, you didn't do it, no reason to blame yourself, even if hadn't ran in circles Carlisle would still have come back. Edward, why are you irritated with me? I'm allowed to think, get out of my head._

I laughed quietly; Jasper was _still_ blaming himself; even after everyone had tried convincing him he wasn't to blame.

He scowled at me and subconsciously sent a wave of irritation through the room. Alice, who was cuddling next to him on the couch, felt it and kissed him on the cheek calming him instantly.

_The poor girl, both her parents... gone. She'll have to go and live with relatives now. I just wish…_

Esme, the most loving of us all, was thinking about Bella's future. Losing both parents at such a young age would leave deep scars in anyone. No child should have to go through that.

Looking at Bella, Esme was reminded of her grief, she wanted children so badly.

_Oh my, But what if she has none?_

"No what, Esme?" I asked her, breaking the silence and tension in the room.

She smiled slightly at me but otherwise didn't acknowledge that I had been listening to her mind. They were all used to it now.

"No family. What if her parents were her only relatives? What then?" she asked, no longer smiling.

"She's not yet 18, so she'll be put into the care of an Orphanage or into a foster program" Carlisle said.

"No." Rosalie said.

"Rose?"

"She won't go to an orphanage. I won't allow it."

"Rosie, we have no choice. We're not her family, we don't even know her" Emmett said.

Everyone turned to stare at him. Emmett was hardly ever serious, always joking around, pulling pranks, acting more like a child than an adult. Everyone was surprised to see him acting sombre.

"What? It's true!" he said. I laughed, he was so oblivious sometimes.

"Strangely, Emmett's right, Rose. We have no claim on her" I said. Emmett shot me a grateful look – Y_ou're agreeing with me? Hmmm that's a first…_

I suppressed a smile.

Rosalie stood up and walked over to Bella. Carefully not to disturb her, she sat down on the lounge next to her head and started gently stroking her long brown hair.

_Well, there is one alternative – but we couldn't… Oh are you listening Edward? Hmm well…_

"Esme…" I muttered "Just say it already"

She laughed lightly and looked a Rosalie.

"Rose?" Esme called "What do you think?" Rosalie looked up at Esme and smiled brightly, nodding fiercely.

The room was once more filled with the beautiful tinkling of Esme's laughter.

"What is it Esme?" Carlisle asked.

"Well, the Girls and I have been thinking about something for a while…"

Alice POV:

It was so exciting! Why hadn't I thought of this sooner? Esme was a Genius! Let's just hope the boys agreed... What am I saying? Of course they will! ...They'd better...

"Alice, please calm down" Jasper whispered in my ear.

I smiled brightly at him, but continued bouncing on the spot. He sighed, sending me calming waves. He practically drowned me in them but they had no effect on me, I was too excited.

I looked over at Jasper to see him grinding his teeth, I grinned. I knew what he was doing. He was trying to resist jumping up and down on the spot - like me.'

"You could if you like." I whispered conspiratorially, "I won't mind"

"I'm sure you wouldn't, but _they-_" He gestured to Emmett and Edward "-would hold it against me forever...literally" Jasper whispered back.

I laughed and turned my attention back to Esme.

"We were going to tell you about it any day now, but we weren't sure" she continued.

_Bella's eyes fluttered open, she looked up to see a beaming Rosalie, stroking her hair._

"_Hi" she whispered._

_Blushing slightly Bella said: "Hello, do I know you?"_

"_No Honey, I'm Rosalie"_

"_Bella" she replied, smiling shyly._

_Rosalie laughed "Nice to meet you"_

_Bella laughed, filling up the room with the beautiful sound._

_I bounced forward, enveloping her in a gently hug._

"_This is Alice" Rosalie said, laughing again._

_Bella smiled slightly but then turned to Rosalie. "Where are my Parents?"_

_Rosalie frowned._

I blinked, looking around the now silent living room.

"What is it, Alice?" Carlisle asked.

I shook my head slightly "Bella's going to wake up in 1 minute and 45 seconds."

I looked at Edward; he was shaking his head slowly. He didn't know what to do either.

"Thank you, Alice." Carlisle said, calling my attention back to him "So what is this plan of yours Esme?"

"Well, you see. We wanted to...Umm-" stuttered Esme, unsure how to say it.

"We want to adopt" interrupted Rosalie.

Silence followed Rosalie's statement. Everyone too stunned to say anything.

"1 minute 25 seconds" I whispered.

"We've talked about this before, countless times. We can't!" Edward reminded us "and how is it that _I_ haven't heard about this before?"

"We've been careful..." Esme whispered.

"Why not?" Rosalie burst out "We can look after a child better than any human! Why can't we-"

"Because we're Vampires, Rosalie!" Edward yelled "We wouldn't be helping the child, we'd be endangering it!"

"How do you know that!" Rosalie shouted, now standing up, glaring at Edward "We've been around humans for _decades _we CAN control ourselves!"

"65 seconds" I muttered.

"Edward, I agree with Rosalie…"Carlisle said "You have to put a little faith in everyone, look at what Jasper did today!"

Jasper wince slightly, I glanced at him and saw he was frowning slightly. I squeezed his hand, reassuring him.

"Edward, you know how badly Rosalie and I need this, even Alice, we could at least try…" Esme whispered.

Everyone knew that when Esme used that voice, nobody would deny her anything, not even Edward. Rosalie grinned, triumphant, and sat back down next to Bella and continued stroking her hair.

Edward grimaced, but he too, knew the battle was lost, so he sat down quietly and nodded, but I could tell he had more to say. I knew him well enough to know that he would find the chance to make his ideas known.

"Carlisle, are you sure?" asked Jasper gently.

"They need this" he said simply.

Jasper nodded, agreeing, but I could tell he hadn't been talking about that. I squeezed his hand again.

"35 seconds, get ready…"

Rosalie POV:

I stared down at Bella's beautiful face, wondering. Would she run screaming from the building? No, Carlisle said about 6 of her ribs were broken, she couldn't run. But that didn't mean she couldn't scream…

I heard Edward chuckling and turned to glare at him, a growl building up in my throat. Edward smiled but stopped laughing; wise of him. I turned back to Bella.

Her lips twitched slightly and her eyelids fluttered a little.

"…incoming...3…2…1…" I heard Alice whisper excitedly.

I smiled, typical Alice.

Bella's eyes opened, immediately seeing me.

"Hi" I said, smiling.

"Hello" Bella said, blushing a light pink as she did "Do I know you?"

"No Honey," I laughed "I'm Rosalie"

Bella smiled a little "Bella"

I laughed, she was acting as we had just run into each other on the sidewalk and were getting to know one another.

"Nice to meet you" I giggled, moments later Bella joined in.

I frowned; it had been such a long time since I giggled…

Suddenly Alice jumped forward and hugged Bella, it was a little awkward seeing as Bella was still lying on the couch.

"This is Alice" I said, bursting out laughing again at Bella's expression. She seemed so surprised, amused and curious at the same time. It was so adorable.

Bella smiled politely at Alice, seeming somewhat overwhelmed. She turned back to me and asked the question everyone was dreading.

"Where are my Parents?" she whispered urgently.

I couldn't help but grimace.

Esme POV:

I walked over to Bella, smiling faintly in greeting. As I approached she pulled herself up into sitting position, wincing slightly as she did. Rosalie helped Bella up and then sat holding her hand.

I sat down on the other side of Bella, exchanged a glance with Rosalie and answered Bella's question.

"I'm sorry dear, they're gone…" I whispered

Bella had looked at me with hope shining in her eyes, but by the time I was done they were a void; empty of all emotion. She looked down at her hands and nodded.

"I thought I was dreaming…" She whispered "I-I wish I had been…"

Bella seemed to remember that there were others in the room. She raised her head and looked around, an enticing red blush lighting up her face.

"Oh sorry dear, this is my family. I'm Esme by the way." I told her.

Bella turned towards me and smiled brilliantly.

"That's Emmett over there, Edward, Jasper and my husband Carlisle" I told her, gesturing at everyone respectively as I said their names. Bella smiled politely at everyone, providing slightly warmer smiles to Carlisle and Jasper.

When I was finished Carlisle stepped forward smiling dazzlingly.

"How are you feeling Bella?" he asked.

"I'm okay." She said "Just a little tired"

"How are your ribs?" Carlisle chuckled, seeing through Bella's poker face instantly.

Bella sighed, realizing that she'd been caught.

"They're sore and they sting when I move, but it's okay." She said quietly.

"Let me know if they get worse, I've got some aspirin if you need it." Carlisle replied.

"Okay…"

"Bella, do you have any family that we could call?" I asked "To let them know you're alright."

"No, I've got no one left now."Bella's face fell slightly as she said it "I'm alone…"

Emmett POV:

Whoa, this kid was tough. I hadn't even seen a tear shimmering in her eye yet…

But then again, Jasper was in the room. You can NEVER trust your emotions when Jasper's in the room. He was always messing with us just for the fun of it. Normally it was hilarious, unless he was doing it to you...

Alice had dragged Bella upstairs to change her clothes. The little pixie, having realized she was the same size as Bella, had all but snatched her from Esme and run upstairs to get her changed.

I didn't get it, Rose and Esme were girls, but they weren't _this _obsessed with shopping and clothes. But then, I'm a guy, how am I meant to understand it?

I could hear Alice talking to Bella about going shopping and laughed, poor kid, Alice wouldn't give her a break.

Downstairs, we were talking about something far more serious. I wished I could go upstairs to the attic and play my video games; I just got some really good ones. Full of blood and guts –

"Emmett will you concentrate, this is serious!" Edward barked at me.

"Dude, you know how I am with serious…" I said to him.

All I got in reply was an eye roll.

"Boys, we all have to talk about this, as a family" Esme chided us.

"Sorry Esme, I'll try to focus" I said with a slight grin.

"I don't see why not. She has no family and she's obviously not bothered by us if she can handle Alice" Rosalie continued "Plus we've all proved we can handle her blood. She was sitting a few centimetres away from me and I was fine."

Edward opened his mouth to argue but Rosalie cut him off. "Don't say anything about Jasper or Emmett; they both handled it perfectly fine and so did you." She said fiercely.

"Yeah, I don't know to explain it, but she doesn't smell exactly…human." I said quietly.

Everyone in the room other than Edward and Carlisle nodded their head.

"When I first smelt it, I thought it was the wolves…" Jasper whispered. Again, everyone nodded.

"Shall we take a vote? Emmett?" Carlisle asked.

"Hell Yes, this is going to be so much fun!" I'd turn this girl into a prankster before anyone had time to blink…

"Emmett, that's hardly appropriate." Edward stated. I just laughed.

"I think I speak for Rosalie and Alice when I say yes…" Esme said carefully. She glanced warily at Rose.

"This is my second chance as much as it is yours Esme, I say yes" Rose reminded Esme.

"Alice agrees with Rose" Edward muttered.

"Then so do I" Jasper said "I can't really explain it. But I feel like I'm meant to be her friend…"

"I get what you mean, Jazz" I said loudly "It's the same for me…It's confusing…"

"You're telling me..." He grinned

Carlisle POV:

I cleared my throat, gaining the attention of every Vampire in the house.

"I can't help but agree, a child would help the family, and we could help her…" I said loudly.

Suddenly, the air was ripped apart by a squeal. "Alice…"I whispered.

"I've found the perfect shoes! What do you think!" she told Bella

I sighed, nobody was better at covering things than Alice...

"Alice, I can't wear high heels, considering I was just in an accident, and I can barely walk in sneakers on a normal day…" Bella answered.

I stopped listening in on their conversation, knowing Alice she was probably going to go into a heated discussion about shoes…

I turned to Edward.

"Edward, we're waiting on your vote…" I informed him.

Edward frowned, he knew that no matter what his decision was, we would still be offering Bella the chance to join our family; he had been out voted.

"I still think it's a bad idea, but I can see that no matter what I say, the girls have already decided." he said "I guess it couldn't hurt…"

Esme grinned and ran over to hug her eldest son. I knew that Esme respected Edwards's opinions a lot more than he cared to admit.

"So when do we tell her?" I asked.

"We'll worry about that later, at the moment I have to go," Carlisle said, "I've already phoned in the accident and told the authorities where Bella is, they're fine with it for the time being, but I have to go sort some things out. Tell them what happened..."

He trailed off, wandering towards the door, lost in his thoughts.

Bella POV:

"Alice, don't you just have a pair of old jeans and a t-shirt?" I asked. "I begging you, please"

Alice glared at me. "Fine! But if you have to wear Jeans you're going to wear a nice shirt and you're going to LIKE it, God damn it!" she said fiercely

"Deal as long as I get to wear sneakers" I told her. This earned another frown. "Come on, Alice! Please?"

"Doesn't have any fashion sense, Sneakers? Eww." She muttered to herself. "You'll see, Someday..."

It was odd, they way Alice and I interacted together; you would think we were the best of friends and had known each other for years. I knew it was strange and irrational but I knew that if she left me; I'd die.

"Alice? It's just occurred to me, but since I was in an accident, shouldn't I be in the hospital going through thousands of tests?" I asked.

I couldn't figure it out. They would have given me brain scans, x-rays; the whole arsenal of medical procedures…

"Carlisle called the hospital when you were sleeping, seeing as he's a registered doctor at the hospital, he has the authority to set up this kind of thing." She explained.

"But how do they know Carlisle isn't lying?" I questioned.

"You'll have to have a trip to the hospital later; Make sure we haven't eaten you" She joked.

"Oh okay, that makes sense…" I muttered

"But?" Alice asked

"But, I can't understand why you would want me here in the first place." I whispered.

Edward POV:

"Okay, now that we've agreed on adopting Bella we need to talk about something." I said.

Everyone had been so excited about the possibility that Bella might join the family, that I'd had no time to tell them something incredibly important.

"What is it Edward? Is something wrong?" Esme asked,

"I don't really know…" I replied "I don't know if it's a good or bad thing…"

_Just spit it out already _Emmett thought.

I laughed - classic Emmett - But, stopped quickly, the gravity of situation sinking in once more.

"I can't _hear _her" I told them all.

"What do you mean _you can't hear her_? You can hear everyone! Even the Volturi!" Jasper burst out.

"What do you mean Edward? Why didn't you tell us before?" Esme asked.

"I just thought it was because she'd been unconscious, that her mind had shut off temporarily, but when she woke up, nothing changed. I couldn't exactly tell you right in front of her…" I told him

"Edward, what is it? Is there something wrong with her?" Esme worried.

"I don't know, I'll have to talk to Carlisle about it..." I mused. "It's a peaceful silence, not threatening."

Alice POV: 

"Come on! You're so slow!" I told Bella, rolling my eyes.

"Alice, not everyone eats batteries for breakfast, well besides you of course" she told me in mock seriousness.

I snorted, "You don't need to eat batteries to walk fast"

Bella rolled her eyes, but continued walking slowly and carefully watching where she placed her feet. Not once looking up at me; she focused on her feet as if her life depended on them. And it seems it did.

"Are you that worried about falling?" I asked incredulously.

Bella stopped and looked up at me, eyebrows raised as if to say "Yes, and?" I laughed; she was one of the most hilarious humans I had ever met.

Already having seen what would happen, I stretched my arms out and grabbed Bella by the waist, saving her from a fall that could have broken her neck – literally.

"Do you really think I'd let you fall?" I asked her.

She smiled sheepishly at me.

We reached Rosalie's room; it took five times longer than usual because of Bella's 'walking' and because I couldn't use Vampire speed.

I 'walked' Bella to Rosalie's vanity and sat her down. "Alice? What are you doing…?" Bella asked, eyeing me warily through the mirror.

I smiled brilliantly at her, "Nothing, just a little touch up…"

Downstairs everyone was talking about the finer details of Bella joining our family, I honestly didn't care, I had seen Bella part of our family and that was good enough for me. Occasionally when everyone aired their views I'd think about mine, knowing full well that Edward was listening and would tell them.

Once we'd been in a slightly similar situation and Edward hadn't told them what I was thinking, well, it hadn't been pretty…at least for him anyway…

"Edward?" I heard Jasper ask. "What does Alice say?"

Instantly I went through a replay of my vision.

.::.

_Bella and Esme were sitting on the couch, cuddling, while watching a movie._

_"Hey Mum, Hey Sis" Emmett said as he walked past._

_.::._

"It would have been helpful to know that beforehand, Alice!"Edward said angrily downstairs.

_Well if you'd been paying attention you would have noticed! _I thought at him angrily.

"When?" he asked

_About 20 minutes ago! It's not my fault you missed it! Stupid, good for nothing Mind reader…What's the point of being able to read minds if you __don't__?_

"I don't pay attention to you all the time!"Edward told me.

_Well you should, or this happens…_I replayed last night in my head, Candles…Jasper…

"Oh god, not again…"Edward whimpered from below.

Esme POV:

"Uh, Guys?" Emmett said quietly "You're forgetting about something"

"Emmett's right, we're getting ahead of ourselves, this is a huge problem. I can't believe we forgot about the most important thing to this…" Edward muttered, mostly to himself as he paced the lounge room.

Normally whenever Edward had these types of conversations with someone, we were merely irritated. But now that we were all involved…it angered us.

"Edward!" Rosalie and I yelled at him simultaneously

Edward jumped and smiled sheepishly at us, gesturing with his hand to Emmett. As we all turned to look at Emmett, I saw from the corner of my eye that Edward had restarted pacing.

"Emmett?"I asked "What is it, dear?"

"Oh, um, Yeah, How do we tell her?" he answered, seeing the bewildered looks on our faces he elaborated "About what we are…"

"I've thought about that" Jasper whispered "We should tell her at the same time that we give her the opportunity to join the family, otherwise she might make a decision she'll regret…"

"I won't let that happen" Rosalie whispered extremely quietly, the only reason I heard was because we were sitting on the lounge together.

I pulled her into a hug. This was one of those rare mother daughter moments that I could have with Rosalie. She cuddled a little into my side and relaxed. I rubbed her arm soothingly and returned to the conversation.

"-credibly dangerous!"Edward was saying "We can't tell a human about our kind! What if she refuses? What then? We'll have a human running around who knows! Then the Volturi will get involved!"

"Nobody will believe a kid who thinks she's seen vampires. They'll think she got brain damage in the accident and have her admitted!"Emmett argued.

"You didn't answer my question, what about the Volturi?" Edward said angrily

"What about them?" Emmett scoffed.

"Edward? What does Alice say?" Jasper interrupted quietly.

Edward stopped his pacing abruptly and glared at the roof "It would have been helpful to know that beforehand, Alice!" He said angrily.

"When?" He paused "I don't pay attention to you all the time!"Edward grimace and squeezed his eyes shut "Oh god, not again…"

"What is it, Edward?" I asked.

Slowly he turned his head towards me and opened his agonized eyes. Immediately I panicked, were we under attack? What was going on? _Edward? What's wrong?_ I thought desperately.

He shook his head slightly "Don't ask; you don't want to know" he whispered.

I sighed; everyone was fine…well except Edward. It must be something Alice was thinking…I couldn't imagine what she was doing that could bring this reaction from him…

Jasper POV:

"BAHAHAHA!"

"Jasper? Are you alright?" Esme asked me worriedly.

I looked up from the floor and nodded but continued laughing. I turned to Edward.

"Having fun?" I teased between violent fits of laughter; the look on his face was priceless.

"It's not funny Jasper" Edward said angrily.

I could feel the embarrassment, disgust and anger radiating off of Edward in waves, but I could also feel the Lust coming from upstairs.

Perhaps drawing on some higher power, Emmett realized what was going on.

"Oh My God! BAHAHAHAHA!" He burst out as he joined me, rolling around on the floor.

"Ahem, boys?" Esme asked; always the voice of authority "Do you mind informing us 'less fortunate' what's going on?"

Emmett and I looked at each other –instantly sober- and nodded; we turned back to our mother and said in total seriousness "You don't want to know", before bursting into laughter once more.

Carlisle POV:

"We'll have to contact foster care, we don't have one here in forks, but there's one in Seattle" Dr. Brunich was saying.

"Yes," I replied "However, my wife and I are prepared to look after her for a while, before the funeral and such"

"Hmmm, I see no problem with it, as long as the girl agrees and no family is reachable" Dr Brunich replied. I'd never had a particular liking for Dr. Michael Brunich. He was a rather rude and impersonal man who conducted his work as if the patients were objects, not people. However, he was the doctor 'in charge' of the hospital so I had to seek his permission in adopting Bella, or at least, as I told him, looking after her for a few days.

"We'll look after her." I said, smiling at the Doctor "Esme will be delighted!"

"I'm sure she will. Well, I have a lot of work to do, enjoy your day off!" Dr. Brunich said distractedly.

I took all my self control to leave the room without snarling. I'd known for a while that Dr. Brunich harboured a grudge against me because of my wife, but it still irritated me to know that the faraway look that came into his eyes every once in a while meant he was fantasising about my Esme.

I shook myself and continued along the hall to the elevator. I rode down to the last floor, the Morgue. Sighing heavily, I wandered through the various rooms that led to the morgue reception office.

"Hello Dr. Cullen" a bright voice greeted me. I smiled politely as I Janice, the receptionist smiling at me. "What brings you here? It seems out of place from your normal routine."

I laughed "How is that?" I asked, honestly curious.

"You're always happy and excuse me if I'm wrong, but a morgue is not a happy place." Janice said genuine concern and sadness lacing her words. I like Janice, she was a happily married, mother of two, who carried out her work with compassion, kindness, dignity and pride. Unlike many of the women with whom I came into contact with, she was not infatuated with me. This let me tell you, is a relief. It was rare when I could have a conversation with anyone without their obvious jealous or longing.

I smiled half-heartedly and said quietly "Circumstances demand it today..."

"Did something happen? A friend?" Janice asked, frowning.

"Yes, you know the Swans?" I asked, upon her nod and mortified expression, I continued "My son, Jasper, and I chanced upon an accident involving them and another vehicle. The other driver and the Swans were killed, only Bella survived."

"Oh no..." Janice whispered, bringing her hands up to cover her mouth.

"I don't think I'll ever get their faces out of mind..."I whispered, almost to myself.

"Oh no, Dr. Cullen, don't think it's your fault. These things happen." She said warmly. Seeing that I was going to say something else she said fiercely: "And don't start that 'if only I had gotten there sooner' crap. You know it's not true"

"Thank you Janice" I said, smiling a little.

"It's nothing. But what of Bella? Will she go to family?"

"At the moment, she will be staying with my family until any relatives make themselves known. If they don't...well, we won't let her go into foster care" I said determinedly.

Smiling brightly, Janice said "Yes, I think she'll be happy with you"

"I hope she will, I know the girls love her already..." I whispered, trailing off. Waving a little in farewell, I headed off towards the room where the bodies were kept. Mentally stabilising myself, I prepared myself to assist the corner in determining the cause of death. This wasn't normally my job, but in this case, I felt it was my responsibility.

Rosalie POV:

Once the boys were finished making fools of themselves and acting like baboons, we got back to business. The one main concern we all had was the Volturi. Our bloodlust we could control and live with, but the Volturi would crucify each of us in turn for telling a human girl about vampires, which was needed if Bella were to join the family.

If Bella accepted our invitation into the family, we would have to tell her about our Vampire nature, which would mean the Volturi, would have to kill both her and us. No matter how hard we fought, no matter how many people we gathered, we would die.

"Thank you, Miss Positive" Edward muttered

I glared at him. If he didn't like what I was thinking he should butt out and give me some privacy.

"Now's not the time, Rosie" Emmett said, knowing what I about to say.

I sighed, if only we could somehow know what the Volturi would do…Alice had said she didn't know what they would do; there were too many decisions influencing the outcome. But what if…

"Rosalie! You're a Genius!" Edward exclaimed.

"I have my moments" I told him smugly.

"Esme" Edward started.

"What if we ask Aro?" I finished for him.

"What do you mean?" Esme questioned, her eyebrows meeting.

"What if we ask the Volturi if we can adopt her?"I explained quickly.

"That could work" Jasper whispered "But it will take a lot of explaining…"

"We'll have to ask Bella first though" I said.

"Ask me what?" someone said.

I turned to see Bella standing at the bottom of the staircase with a beaming Alice bouncing around behind her.

"Bella?" I asked "Do you mind if Esme and I talk to you?"

I studied her face as I spoke.

She was an incredibly beautiful girl. Her large brown eyes were deep and captivating. She was blushing profusely from everyone looking at her, which only helped to make her more stunning. If she ever became a Vampire, she'd rival me, which was saying something.

Bella looked timidly at me and nodded slightly, "Sure" she said.

Alice quickly ran over to Jasper and grabbed her hand. "Come on Jazz! You have to see what I've found!" she squealed.

It was obvious that the boys were reluctant to leave but this was a conversation that should be done by Esme and I; without the family present. Had Carlisle been here, it would have been his responsibility, but he wasn't so it was left up to me. Of course, we could have waited to talk to Bella when Carlisle came home, but I liked this way better.

Edward stood up and went upstairs, probably to listen to his music or read a book. While Emmett went to his attic game room, which I knew he had been longing to do since I'd dragged him away from there.

Bella had walked over to the lounge and sat next to Esme, who was holding her hand and drawing light circles on her thumb, a smile playing on the edge of her lips.

"Bella," I started, there was really no easy way to say this. "Earlier on you mentioned that you have no family members left…"

Bella's face fell ever so slightly, revealing the incredible pain she was feeling. I frowned sympathetically; this couldn't be easy for her.

"Are you sure there's absolutely nobody we can call?" I asked. I dreaded her answer, perhaps she wasn't alone.

"No," she whispered quietly, eyes downcast "My Gran died a few years ago and my parents were the only ones I had left."

Esme squeezed her hand reassuringly; Bella looked up in response and smiled a little at Esme. Suddenly, She turned back to me a small frown forming on her brow "If you want me to leave…" she started

"No, no Bella" Esme said "You can stay as long as you want. We'd love for you to stay here"

I could see Esme was already attached to the girl as were Jasper, Emmett and Alice. It would hurt them if she left. Edward was even beginning to become fond of her (he hid things well. But I had caught him staring at Bella a few times; that is, before he noticed and looked away. But it hadn't been before I'd noticed him smiling.). I already knew that I needed this girl, she may not be a child anymore, but she still needed somebody to love and care for her.

I wasn't sure about Carlisle, he hadn't really been around her much yet, but I knew that he'd go for anything that made Esme happy.

Unexpectedly, I was thinking about my relationship with Bella. I'd never had any children which caused me endless grief but I'd always hoped that a child would fill the hole that both Esme and I have within us.

But now that there was a child that needed me, depended on me, the Hole was gone. I suddenly understood how Esme felt with every new addition to our 'family'. In a matter of hours, our entire lives had shifted to revolve around this one human.

In a matter of hours, she had us all inexplicably hooked. I couldn't explain it, and I honestly sure if I wanted to. If Bella had gone into the temporary care of a human, would they have been as bound to her as we were? Or was it a result of us being vampires? I didn't care, all I knew was that I wanted, no, needed this girl with me.

"Bella, Esme and I have something to offer you. Carlisle would be here in my place, but he's not here at the moment, although we know he agrees." I started "I know you may not want to, especially after what you've just been through…"

This was extremely difficult to say. I knew that if I said even one thing wrong, the tears I'd been waiting for, would pour forth. I didn't want to upset her; I only wanted the best for her; for her to be happy.

As I was struggling to find the words, Esme took over.

"Bella, dear, if you want to, you can stay here as long as you like. I know this may not be the right time to say this and I'm sorry. But, we were wondering if it's alright with you if we adopt you." she said gently.

I stared in wonder at the woman that was my mother and wondered how I had been so lucky to find this marvellous, extraordinary, brilliant person. Okay maybe I was exaggerating, but she was just...Awesome.

"We'll understand if you don't want to" I added quietly.

Bella was staring at her hands her brow furrowed in concentration as she thought of a way to answer. Slowly she looked up at me.

"But why would you want me?" she asked.

As I was about to stutter an answer, I was once again saved by Esme.

"Bella, I can't have children. Alice, Jasper, Emmett, Rosalie and Edward are all adopted" she told her simply. I could see the under layer of pain in her features but it wasn't as noticeable as it usually was.

"But there are thousands of other kids out there that need a family like you. I don't understand why you want me. I'm broken." She whispered.

Bella POV:

I couldn't believe it, this wonderful family wanted me; me of all people. They must just be trying to make me feel better while inside they were screaming "Say no! We don't want you! Say no!"

Esme picked me up and placed me on her lap as if I were only a little child and hugged me. I couldn't help it. They were gone. I'd just gotten them back. I'd never see them again…

Esme held me as I sobbed. Vaguely I was aware that somehow I was feeling happy, I pushed the feelings away. They were gone. I would give anything for them to be alive again, even my own life.

Eventually the feeling of happiness stopped trying to take over me and I felt the entire weight of my grief fall on me; it was a wonder I didn't collapse.

Slowly my tears slowed down and my sobs quieted. Esme continued to hold me and stroke my hair.

"I'm sorry" she whispered.

"For what, Esme?" I asked. I looked up at her face, confused. In the back of my mind I noted that Rosalie was gone; I must have scared her.

"We shouldn't have, shouldn't have..."she whispered, struggling to find the words.

I realized what she was talking about. She was upset about making me cry. She didn't understand.

"I love them. And I'll miss them terribly. The pain will never go away. I'll always feel it." I started "Please don't think it's your fault. I'm sorry I made you think that. I would love to be a part of your family, but I'm not sure that I'll be good for it. I don't know… I don't know how I can…I can't replace them…I can never replace them. And I don't want to give you false hope. I won't be good for your family" I explained.

It was hard to talk about my parents. Every moment I felt like breaking down and crying again. But I needed her to understand. I needed to convince her I wasn't any good for them. They were a normal happy family, and I was…well I don't know what I am.

Esme's face was blank of all emotion; I began to regret what I had said. I'd upset her. It was wrong of me to do that. She was a wonderful person, who had looked after me, treated me as part of the family and I had thrown it back in her face and upset her.

"Bella? Would you like to stay?" She asked slowly.

I nodded slowly "But I can't" I whispered.

"As long as you want to you can stay here with us. I don't want to replace your family; I just want you to be happy and looked after. Please don't think that I want you to forget your parents. I don't. I had a son once and no one can ever replace him, so I know what you're going through. Bella we all want you as part of the family. You may not realize it, but you mean a lot to us. All of us." Esme told me.

I stared at my hands for what seemed like forever. Finally I looked up into Esme's beautiful golden eyes.

"As long as you want me, I'll stay" I told her.

Suddenly, I was pulled backwards. I yelped in surprise only to find myself in Rosalie's lap and her hugging me with what seemed like all her strength.

Esme POV:

I hugged Bella with Rosalie. She was such a wonderful person. I wonder what I had done that had provided me with this beautiful soul. I loved her. She was my daughter. Nobody would ever replace my poor little boy, but I was happy that I could help Bella. Look after her, Help her and Love her.

"I'll always want you, Bella. Always" I whispered into her hair. We sat for a long time just hugging each other.

Eventually I could hear the others growing restless, especially Alice.

I pulled away from Bella but kept her in my arms. I watching in amusement as Rosalie grudgingly followed my movement.

"How about Lunch?" I asked, smiling widely.

"I'm okay" Bella shrugged, blushing. I was about to believe her when I heard the stomach grumble. Grinning, I grabbed her hand and pulled her to the kitchen, noticing with amusement that she was mortified at having been betrayed by her stomach.

We had to tell her. She couldn't stay with us until she knew the truth. Honestly, I was terrified. I didn't want her to leave. But what we had to tell her would scare her and she would run, screaming from the house.

Edward was leaning against the archway smiling slightly at me, knowing exactly what I was thinking... I smiled back a little, not much as I was still worried about what we had to do know.

Alice and Rosalie bounded down the stairs and started walking on either side of Bella grinning widely at her.

Suddenly Alice squealed deafeningly and threw herself at Bella "You're staying!"

Bella giggled a little and hugged Alice back. "I peeked down the stairs" Alice whispered in her ear, explaining how she knew Bella's decision.

I heard the boys fighting over a controller upstairs and rolled my eyes, fighting the urge to go upstairs and ground them both.

I sighed, rubbing my eyes. We had to tell Bella what would surely drive her away.

Jasper POV:

Esme, Alice and Rosalie had practically dragged Bella to the kitchen almost half an hour ago. After the ordeal she'd been through, Bella needed the normality eating provided.

Normal. I don't even know the meaning of the word anymore. Conforming to the usual standard, yes, but what did that mean?

Our family was far from normal. Heck, we weren't even _human._ So we didn't fall under that category. Even for vampires we aren't common. Other than the Denali's who else is there like us?

"Nice positive air today" Edward muttered.

_You still can't hear her? _I guessed, ignoring his grumbles. Frowning, Edward nodded his head slowly.

_Is that yes you still can't hear her or yes you can hear her?_ I asked; the frustration from everyone else was getting to me…

Edward turned to glare at me "The former" he said

"I always thought Humans were boring, you know?" Emmett said, I sighed, here we go "They can't run, hunt, nothing. But _this _one…" He chuckled, shaking his head. He started muttering something, rubbing his hands together in front of him.

"What do you mean?" I asked, curious.

"Haven't you noticed? She has...the look" Emmett whispered conspiratorially.

I raised an eyebrow "the look?"

"Of evil" He said, cackling. I rolled my eyes as he started laughing. He'd be like this for a while, it was best to ignore him.

I turned to Edward quickly; hopefully pulling Emmett away from his current train of thought "Have you ever heard of anything like this?" I asked him.

"Like what? Like Emmett? No. Like Bella? Again, No. I know Carlisle said that sometimes a human may have control over their gift; even before their transformation. But it's extremely rare. Their extremely coveted, because when they're changed, they're immensely powerful. Aro's been searching for them for centuries, but he's only ever found one and Aro was forced to kill him" He explained.

"Why?" Emmett asked simply, serious once more.

"Why was he destroyed? He created an Immortal child, his younger sister in fact. Aro was forced to destroy him." Edward explained distractedly.

I stood up, pacing; I was too nervous to sit. This was one of the moments when being an empath was a curse rather than a blessing. Everyone's emotions were messing with me.

One moment I wanted to jump up and down squealing at the top of my vampire lungs the next I wanted to run around hugging everyone, then, to top that off I wanted to curl up in a ball in the corner of the room; it was extremely confusing.

Edward cleared his throat, catching my attention "Alice was one" He said.

I froze. We all knew that Alice had been able to see the future when she was human but I hadn't thought much of it. After all Carlisle's theory was that a vampire carried on one of the personality traits on transformation.

I flinched suddenly as a crushing grief filled me; radiating from the kitchen.

Bella POV:

"Really Esme, I'm not that hungry" I said again, I was starting to realize there really was no hope of convincing her. But seriously, one more sandwich and I'll explode.

"She'll make you eat every last one." Alice whispered in my ear. I groaned out loud.

"Really? Esme please, I'll eat this one but then no more. Really, I'm not hungry, I'm fine" I said, almost begging.

Esme looked up from the chicken salad sandwich that she was currently making and scowled sceptically at me. Her soft gold eyes studied me for what seemed like an eternity before her face broke out into a smile.

"Okay dear, but if you get hungry later you tell me okay? I'll make you something to eat." She said lightly, the endearment coming off her tongue naturally.

I nodded quickly, although I don't think I'll be hungry for another 40 years…

"Promise" I said hurriedly, before she changed her mind. Esme frowned slightly, but didn't say anything else, for which I was glad, I was sure that with one question, a torrent would be released.

I was the freak nobody could understand.

I tried to finish the sandwich in front of me, taking tiny little bites and earning glares from Esme. I grinned sheepishly back at her and continued eating.

Alice and Rosalie had been having an argument about which room should be mine. They'd been arguing ever since we'd entered the kitchen. I didn't see what all the fuss was about; I'd sleep in the attic if I had to. But, of course, they'd never let me do that. Not only was it 'the game room' according to Emmett, but Alice would surely have her way. I'd only met them a few hours ago, but already I knew that Alice was not to be argued with…

"Rosalie, that room is in between yours and mine; she'll have her own bathroom and most importantly a walk in wardrobe. The other room is more than half its size anyway" she was saying.

Rosalie opened her mouth to say something but Alice was three steps ahead of her. "Rose! You live in the same house! There's no difference, she could sleep in the attic-"she turned to glare at me "-which you're not," she said to me, glaring at me. She turned back to Rosalie "You'll still see her everyday"

I sighed, well there goes that plan…I didn't understand what she had meant about seeing me every day, but it wasn't my business, so I didn't ask.

My parents had never been strict but they did give me some simple rules; never interrupt a person speaking, don't ask if it doesn't concern you and so on. They were easy rules to live by and they kept everyone happy.

I reached up and silently wiped away the tear that was shimmering in my eye, grieving was a long, silent process, I shouldn't make anyone suffer with me.

I tried to concentrate on what Rosalie and Alice were saying but I couldn't hear anything. I kept thinking of the promise I'd made Charlie.

What if I couldn't do it? Would they be disappointed? I know they'd still love me - I'd always know that - but would they be proud of me?

"YES!" Alice yelled, effectively capturing my attention.

"Alice, there's no need to shout. You frightened Bella" Esme chided Alice; turning to me she asked "Are you okay dear?" I nodded my head smiling a little, turning back to face Alice who was bouncing up and down like my shoes when I threw them against the wall too hard.

Huh…What a strange comparison…Not for the first time, I was glad there was no such thing as mind-readers. They'd be seriously freaked out by me.

Satisfied with my answer Esme turned back to Alice, he face confused and questioning. "What is it Alice?" she asked.

Alice was bouncing up and down so much that it took a lot of effort on my part to see her nod her head. You couldn't even call it 'nodding her head' she did it too fast for it to be called that…

"Bella's room is going to look great!" she squealed. I don't know why, but I suddenly got the feeling she was lying, well not lying but hiding something. I quickly shook off the feeling, what would Alice have to lie about?

"I take it you won the agreement?" I said, smiling.

Alice frowned for a moment, but then understanding brightened her eyes. Once again she 'nodded'.

"I see you've forced Bella to eat the entire contents of the fridge…" a soothing voice said, interrupting whatever it was Alice was squealing about.

I turned to see Jasper walking through the kitchen door, Emmett two or three steps behind him while Edward trailed behind. Edward was the only one of them that wasn't smiling.

The look that was on his face was familiar to me. Charlie wore it whenever he was thinking heavily about something. Often it was when he was dealing with a difficult case; he'd come home quiet and not concentrate on anything else very well.

I tried to stay away from him whenever he was like that; not that he'd get angry, it's just that I knew that when people were thinking, they didn't want to be distracted.

Quickly I turned my attention back to Jasper who was now standing side by side with Alice, holding her hand lightly. He was smiling at me, the hint of a smirk playing on the edge of his lips.

"She made me eat three sandwiches, but she was going for five" I whispered to him conspiratorially.

Everyone in the room laughed, well with the exception of Esme, but I could tell she wasn't mad at me. I was glad that my presence made Esme and Rosalie for that matter, happy. It's hard to explain, but I think they're _really_ pleased that I'm here.

What's bewildering me, is knowing that I don't want to leave, even though I should.

I swivelled in my seat, so that I was facing Esme and smiled angelically at her.

"Thank you for the food Esme" I said sweetly. Behind me everyone laughed again, while Esme frowned at me. After a second or two her face broke into a breathtaking smile and she laughed.

"You're welcome, dear" she said, reaching out and ruffling my hair as she did. Emmett laughed behind me, gaining the spotlight. Rubbing his hands together he said:

"Now, on to Business…"

_Emmett POV:_

This girl, she had the look. I knew it was a good idea to have her around. With Carlisle gone and Esme in a good mood, now was the perfect time to introduce her to the 'art'.

I heard Edward whisper "What are you doing?" but I ignored him, pretending that, like Bella, I hadn't heard him.

'Now, On to Business..." I whispered. Before anyone could say anything, I ran over, picked up Bella and ran up to the attic. At human speed of course, not wanting Bella to freak out. I knew we had to tell her about us being Vampires, but until Carlisle got home, we couldn't.

I set Bella down on the couch and stared at her, calculating. Although surprised, Bella didn't seem scared, only amused. I grinned.

"Are you familiar with the art of...evil" I asked her, wickedly.

"Art of Evil?" Bella asked, confused.

"You know Pranks and Jokes." I said offhandedly, waving it away. Taking on a serious note I said "Bella, you have..._the look._ There are few people who have _the look_. Nobody in this family has it, Bella. You and I are the only ones. I have come across a few who have...dabbled in this great art, but there are few who have the Gift for it. I can tell that you, Bella Swan, have this gift. As a future member of this family, would you be interested in trying your hand at this art?"

For a moment Bella was silent, she just stared at me, thinking. And then her entire face transformed into an Impish grin. "I am" she said loudly, confidently.

I grinned, "Are you willing to make a pact?" I asked, her, studying her with one eye, earning myself a giggle.

"I am" she repeated.

I held out my hand and shook hers when she extended it.

"Bella, we are now irrevocably, partners in crime." I said, grinning like a boy on Christmas morning.

Rosalie POV:

When I heard what Emmett was doing with Bella upstairs in the attic, only one thing came to mind. Bad influence by P!NK. Might be odd, but that's what popped into my mind.

But then again, I guess this is why I married him.

Rolling my eyes, I turned my attention to the front of the house and listened to Carlisle's car drive up the driveway and into the garage.

I sighed; it was time to tell her. I took my place on the lounge and waited impatiently for everyone to file in for 'the talk'.

Emmett POV:

"Bella, if you do indeed wish to join our family there is something important you should know about us" Carlisle said.

"You must know that you shouldn't be afraid of us and that none of us would ever hurt you. Okay?" Esme added.

Frowning, Bella searched Esme's eyes, then smiled and nodded.

"You have to promise, you can never tell anyone. If you do…well, it would be very, very bad. Understand?" Again Bella nodded, this time with a passion.

"What we're about to tell you will shock and scare you, Bella. You won't believe what we're telling you but you have to. Please don't do anything rash until we've explained everything." Rose pleaded her.

Bella stared into Rosalie's eyes, then Esme's and eventually Carlisle's. Her face was screwed up in concentration, confusion and wonder. "You can trust me" she told us all.

Carlisle looked nervous. I'd never seen him this way. He was always the father figure in our family. He looked after the family and always knew what to do. If he was nervous…well, next thing you know the Gators would lose the championship.

I heard Edward chuckle. _Laugh all you want. But it's true_ I told him, glaring. Edward just grinned smugly in return. I flashed my teeth at him and cracked my knuckles.

"Boys! Not now!" Esme said too quiet and fast for Bella to hear.

Edward and I both returned to our worried postures, hoping for the best, knowing the worst was coming.


	3. Finding Out

_**Hey Guys!**_

_**Another, shorter, chapter for you! Review and Enjoy!**_

_Chapter Three: Finding Out_

_Point of Views: Jasper, Alice, Edward and Esme_

Jasper POV:

"Bella?" I asked, knowing that Carlisle and Esme were too worried to continue "How much do you know about mythical creatures?"

She looked at me with her big brown eyes, confused "Not much, just what I've read in books. I don't like the movies" she told me.

"What about Anne Rice?" I asked her, honestly curious.

"I read half of _Pandora _but I didn't like it" She said.

"I didn't like that one either, it's too-"I said.

"Jasper! Now's not the time" Esme chided me.

"Sorry Esme" I said, repentant. _I wonder if Bella likes books? I have to show her the library…_

"Bella, what I'm about to say is going to sound ridiculous and frightening, but you have to listen okay?" Carlisle begged her.

Once again Bella nodded furiously. A silence filled the room, no one daring to speak.

"Those stories are not necessarily based on fiction. Parts are fact ... We are Vampires. Not like those in the Rice's stories but similar. We are different to them, Vegetarians if you will." Edward said.

He must have realized no one was going to say it out right. I looked at Bella, she was staring at Carlisle. Trying to see if what Edward said was true. Carlisle nodded slowly, but the look in his eyes told me how difficult it was for him to do, even without my empathic abilities.

Bella sighed quietly then looked down at her hands. She was wringing her hands, looking nervous.

I felt the air around her and realized she wasn't scared. She wasn't uncomfortable; she was amused, curious, slightly confused an-and _happy._

I stared at her, incredulous. _Edward? What's wrong with her?_

Edward stared back at me, eyes wide and said quietly "I have _no _idea"

Alice POV:

What was going on? I couldn't see what Bella was going to decide, she was changing her mind at record speed. _Edward? What's going on?_

Instead of answering me, he looked at Jasper and whispered too low for Bella to hear "I have _no_ Idea". I realized Jasper must be thinking along the same lines as me, well, it wasn't the first time.

After what seemed like an age, Bella looked up into Esme's eyes and whispered "You won't hurt me."

Although obviously surprised, Esme answered Bella forcefully "Never"

Bella smiled and Esme hugged her fiercely.

"You're not afraid of us?" she whispered in her ear.

"No, if you were going to hurt me, you wouldn't have brought me to your home, fixed me up and then told me this." Bella replied.

Esme chuckled "Is there anything you'd like to know?"

Bella pulled back from Esme and looked at Edward, a confused look on her face. "What did you mean by 'vegetarians'? Do you drink plants? That's okay if you do, I mean, I just couldn't picture a person feeding off the 'blood' of a plant" she asked, confused.

Everyone burst out laughing, even Edward.

"No Bella," Carlisle said once he'd gotten control of himself "We call ourselves vegetarians because we abstain from drinking human blood like traditional vampires"

"Oh okay, I didn't think plants had blood" she said to herself.

I giggled; she really was the most hilarious human.

Now that everything was settled, we'd have to go shopping.

Edward POV:

_She's happy? How can she be Happy? I don't understand._

_I can see it already. Baby pink walls, purple sheets..._

_We have to implement phase 1 soon…oh, Hi Eddie :) _

_She's my second chance, and Esme's, how is it we deserve this?_

_She wants' to stay no matter what we are, I love her…_

_There's still the Volturi, I know what Aro will say without Alice's help. He'll expect her to be changed…_

"We can't do that, Carlisle." I said, interrupting his train of thought.

"It's what Aro will demand" he said nonchalantly.

"I won't let that happen" I said defiantly.

We would not damn this innocent person to an eternity as one of us. She didn't deserve that. Her life had been so cruelly mangled already; I wouldn't let it be destroyed. We were Monsters. If I couldn't stop her from joining the family, at least I would prevent her from damnation.

_Edward? What are you thinking? Your emotions are messed up. You want to protect her, but there's more…I can't understand it, it's too confusing. I need a holiday, maybe Alice will come?_

Bella was staring at me bewildered. She didn't understand what had just taken place. Everyone else had been around me long enough to be used to me having these types of conversations, but this was the first time Bella had ever seen it; it must be extremely confusing.

"I'm confused." She told me, stating what was, to me, obvious. I couldn't help but laugh at her expression. It was clear that she didn't like being confused.

"When you're a Vampire, sometimes one of your personality traits is enhanced." Rosalie explained.

Suddenly Emmett was in front of Bella, grinning broadly. Bella jumped backwards slightly and let out an involuntary "Eep!"

"Emmett! Don't do that! You'll scare her to death!" Rosalie yelled.

But Emmett couldn't be discouraged; he was having too much fun playing with Bella's 'Human reactions'.

"We're also, stronger and faster" he explained quickly. All of sudden he was standing next to me, then Carlisle, then back in front of Bella. Finally he was gone; Bella looked around the room but didn't find him.

I rolled my eyes; Emmett was more childish than a 5-year-old. Everyone else knew where Emmett was and what he was planning, but were having too much fun watching Bella.

Emmett was back and behind his back he was holding a large rock "Can you crush a rock with your bare hands?" he asked Bella teasingly.

"No, that's not possible" she said, frowning.

Emmett pulled the rock out. "I can" he stated and proceeded to crush the rock. Within seconds nothing was left except dust.

Bella's eyes widened visibly and she stared at Emmett in wonder.

"Whoa, do it again!" she said, making us all laugh.

"When you become a Vampire, your senses become enhanced, meaning you can see, hear and smell thousands of times better. But you also get stronger and faster. Sometimes a person develops a 'gift' as we call it, which magnifies one of their personality traits." Carlisle explained.

"Alice can see the future, Jasper can manipulate and sense your emotions and Edward can read people's minds…well other than yours." Rosalie finished.

Bella turned to face me and asked the obvious question "Why?"

I studied her face and tried once again to break through the barrier that was her mind, unsuccessfully.

I sighed "I don't know…" I told her truthfully.

She stared at me for a second and then understanding flashed in her eyes and she looked down at her hands, blushing.

"Bella?" Esme whispered "What is it? You can tell us…"

"I-I think I know w-why it's not working…" she stuttered.

Subconsciously everyone leaned forward so as not to miss what she had to say.

Bella looked around the room nervously, studying all our faces individually. She paused when she reached Carlisle but quickly looked at Esme.

She studied Esme face, worry etched on her own.

_She's scared. Why is she scared now? Before she was Happy! I can feel a headache coming. _Jasper was thinking.

Bella sighed heavily and stared at her hands "I can talk t-to" She began. She looked up into Esme's eyes and finished "Animals" she whispered almost inaudibly. "I-I-I think that's why you can't hear my mind, Edward. Because it's not like the minds of _normal_ people. You can't hear animal's can you? Maybe they think differently. Maybe _I_ think differently."

The room went absolutely quiet; nobody was even daring to breathe, with the exception of Bella.

Emmett broke the silence suddenly "See? I knew she's just like us; a weirdo!"

Alice POV:

.::.

_I stared in horror at Emmett. He had to be kidding. Emmett could do some pretty outrageous things every once in a while, but this was beyond words._

_How could he believe that he'd get away with this? In what alternate universe would we let him do this?_

Edward, is he serious? We can't let him do that! No matter how justified he thinks he is!_ I screamed mentally. I saw Edward wince a little in my peripheral vision._

_"Emmett…" he said, trailing off in the hope that he'd get the message. He didn't._

_"What?" Emmett asked, obviously completely confused._

_"Don't you _dare_, Emmett Cullen" I snarled menacingly, taking a step forward._

_Slowly, Emmett's face filled with understanding and he grinned wickedly. Edward dove at him at the same moment that he ran out the door. He ran out the door after him, his scent was everywhere, but it was easy to find the more recent one._

_"Edward! There's no point, you won't catch him!" I called._

_Giving chase now would be pointless. Emmett would just run Edward in circles for an hour. He hurried back inside, greeted by our worried faces._

_"Edward, Alice. What's going on?"Esme asked tentatively. She was holding Bella's hand, quietly reassuring her._

_I mentally kicked myself; I'd completely forgotten that Bella was in the room. We'd just shown her how much different we were from her. Not that she hadn't heard about it moments earlier, but it was different to witness things so bizarre._

_"Emmett wants to…ah... test, Bella's ability" Edward said carefully._

_"What do you –"Esme began, obviously enraged._

_"He's gone to get a Grizzly to see if it can talk" I said viciously._

_Rosalie hissed loudly, flying out of her chair "He can't be serious! This is the most idiotic, reckless, stupid –"she ranted._

_I looked at Bella once more, finding her in almost the exact same manner as earlier. She was calmly staring out the window, a frown playing on her brow. If I didn't know better, I'd say she was day dreaming._

_"-dangerous things he's _ever_ done. And he's done _a lot_ of idiot things. I'm going to kill him." Rosalie continued. Carlisle was holding her arm to stop her from running out, after Emmett._

_"Alice? How long do we have? Are you sure we can't –"Jasper said urgently._

_"45 seconds. We can't do anything..." I replied, cutting him off._

_"We can't let him get in the –"Edward said, snarling mid sentence he spun around to face the glass wall._

_"What now?" Rosalie said, irritated._

_"He found the biggest brute he could..." He whispered without turning around, quiet enough that Bella couldn't hear._

_Emmett came into view slowly, dragging a large grizzly behind him. There was a quiet giggle behind me. I spun around, confused._

_Bella was looking on at Emmett who was now wrestling with the Grizzly trying to get him inside. If it weren't for the circumstances he'd be quite a comical figure. Although he could easily pick up the bear and not have a scratch on him, he was being careful not to hurt the beast._

_Carefully Jasper, Edward, Rosalie and I carefully shifted our position so we were situated in front of Bella; Carlisle darted over to where Esme was sitting with Bella._

_We all watched as Emmett wrestled with the bear that was clawing at him, roaring out its defiance, rage and fear._

_I growled quietly, how in the world could this be a good idea?_

_Noticing my rumble, Jasper smiled "A squirrel would have been better" he whispered._

_I rolled my eyes, turning my attention back to Emmett. The snarling had grown steadily louder as Emmett manoeuvred the bear closer to the house. He was being careful not to hurt the bear, so it was taking twice as long as normal._

_"Maybe I could just hit over the head once, knock it out – No, might kill it accidentally. She can't talk to it if it's dead..." he muttered to himself_

_I laughed; his patience was wearing thin._

_Annoyed, Emmett quickly picked up the Bear and dashed towards the house. The back door banged open and Emmett dragged the over sized bear into the living room. He narrowly avoided breaking one of Esme's vases._

_Normally this was the type of bear Emmett chose to 'play with'. It was perhaps twice the size of a normal Grizzly._

_Coming from its colossal torso was a mewling sound. It was quite pitiful to listen to; the sound was undeniably that of fear._

_I felt something warm touch my arm from behind me. I peaked over my shoulder to see Bella reaching out to me, her eyes beseeching._

_"Don't be afraid" I whispered. I was surprised she even heard me above all the growls, both those of the Bear and my family._

_"No, I'm not. I just need to..." she said. Carefully she hopped out of her sear, moving around me, I grabbed her wrist, careful not to hurt her._

_Bella smiled at me reassuringly, and tried to continue towards the bear. I let go of her wrist, and allowed her to move. Slowly, warily, Bella made her way closer and closer to the Grizzly and ultimately further away from my protection._

_Esme was visibly shaking with worry._

_Quickly I flitted to Bella's side, gently gripping her hand. Bella looked up at me, surprised and startled. I smiled at her weakly, there was no way I would put her into such danger without making sure I was close enough to protect her. Esme and Rosalie would agree with me._

_Seeming to understand, Bella nodded and continued closer. With every inch closer Bella drew to the Grizzly, everyone's anxiety increased. I didn't need Jaspers gift to know that, or mine for that matter. It was apparent from the looks on their faces. Warily I moved along side her, always ready to pull her out of danger in a split second._

_Gingerly, Bella stepped around Edward, who along with the others had formed a defensive half circle in front of Bella._

_The animal was lying in a pitiful heap on the living room floor, mewling softly. With each approaching step Bella and I made, the grizzly curled more and more into itself, trying desperately to become as small as it possibly could._

_Only a few feet remained between Bella and the Bear._

_.::._

Jasper POV:

"Alice? What did you see?" I said, my hands on either side of her face. She stared at me, horror struck. She wasn't going to say anything. Based on her emotions – and Edward's reaction - I was guessing that her thoughts were jumbled up, and that she wouldn't speak anytime soon mainly because she couldn't find the words.

If this continued for any longer, I'd have to leave the room.

"Alice! Calm down! Jasper's two steps away from running down the driveway screaming bloody murder!" Edward said angrily.

"And I don't think that will go down very well" he tacked on as an afterthought.

Alice's condition didn't change; she continued to stare _through _me not concentrating on anything. I'd never seen her like this, but Edward was right, it was getting harder to deal with her frantic emotions.

Bella slid out of her seat and gently touched Alice's arm, jolting her out of her state. Alice stared at Bella, fear and worry evident on her face.

Bella smiled a little "What's wrong?" she asked tentatively. Alice frowned, a rare look for her, and turned to glare at Emmett.

"Nothing's wrong. But so help me Emmett Cullen if you so _think _about ever doing that again, I'll rip your head off." She growled her tone of voice didn't let anyone think otherwise.

Simultaneously everyone turned to stare in confusion at Emmett, with the exception of Alice and Edward who were already glowering at him.

Confusion flashed through Emmett, quickly followed by understanding. He smiled a little but hung his head in defeat, feeling as if he'd been denied to play a really entertaining game.

Esme POV:

"How could you even _think _of doing something like that?" I chided Emmett. "Sometimes, the way you behave, makes me think that you've lived with bears your entire life!"

Emmett smiled a little and started to say something "Don't even _start_" I cut him off.

"But Alice said nothing bad happened-"

"That's not the point! You had no way of knowing what would or would not happen!" I burst out angrily. I sighed quietly, "At times I feel disappointed with myself for the way I raised you."

Emmett hung his head, twisting his hands round and round in his lap. For a moment my resolve wavered; he was too pitiful to be mad at.

Carlisle's expression erased that feeling, He looked plain amused. I would not give in the expectation that I would forgive Emmett for what he had done, even if he used the Puppy-Dog Eyes.

Seeming to be thinking along the same lines as Carlisle, Emmett peeked up at me from under his lashes, for a moment seeming like a child, looking to see if the pity and forgiveness he expected was on my face.

"Don't make the assumption that you'll go unpunished" I said fiercely

"You will help me plant my Azaleas and I forbid you from playing any of your video games for at least a week." I continued, keeping my stern look in place.

Emmett's jaw dropped and his face became disbelieving, by the time I was finished he was ready to beg.

"Esme, plea-"He pleaded.

"On punishment" I interrupted, "Of food."

"But mum! I didn't even do it! You can't punish me for what I didn't –"He whined pitifully.

"Enough! Be thankful that's all the punishment you're getting" I said impatiently. Emmett whimpered quietly but otherwise said nothing.

Carlisle was leaning against the archway, a smirk on his face, obviously laughing on the inside. Before I could say anything to wipe the grin off of his face, Alice flitted in front of me, the house phone clutched in her small hands. She too, was visibly holding back laughter.

I scowled but accepted the now ringing phone; having a daughter for a physic wasn't always a nuisance.

"Hello?" I said warmly, completely contradicting my mood, sending everyone into fits of giggles, Emmett included. I scowled at them, but otherwise disregarded the _children_. Behind me, Edward chuckled; I chose to ignore him even if he was completely aware of what I was doing.

"Esme! How are you?"The person on the other line said happily. "This is Doctor Grady, is Carlisle there?"

"Hi Mark. I'm well thank you." I said cheerfully "I think he's around here somewhere, give me a moment, I'll find him"

"Thank you Esme" Dr. Grady said, relieved. I smiled to myself, handing the phone to Carlisle as I did. Still smirking, Carlisle accepted the phone and dashed upstairs, obviously expecting the call to be work related.

I sighed; sometimes Carlisle seemed as much a child as Emmett, despite his age, who at the moment was playing scissors, paper, rock with Bella, the others looking on.

"I win! Rock beats scissors" Emmett said triumphantly.

"Emmett, you cheated" Bella accused, "You changed it at the last minute!"

"What? No I didn't! You're seeing things" Emmett said, noticeably enjoying himself.

Bella snorted but otherwise ignored Emmett. Turning to Alice, she raised her eyebrows, questioning, causing Alice to erupt in a fit of uncontrollable giggles.

"You're not seeing things Bella. He did change it." She said between chuckles. Turning to Emmett she said "You're getting slow in your old age if a _human _can see you cheating"

"I'll show you slow" he muttered, "Best two out of three"

I only vaguely heard what Emmett was saying to defend himself; I was concentrating on Carlisle who had rushed into the room, still on the phone.

"Yes of course. No, no it's not a problem. We'll be there soon. Thank you Mark" He said before hanging up, his grin long gone. Carlisle sighed wearily as he put the phone back in its cradle and seemed to age ten years in five seconds.

Despite my annoyance with him, I still hated seeing my husband this way; it hurt me as much as it did him. I wandered over and rested my hand on his shoulder, a gesture I knew soothed him.

Slowly, Carlisle closed his eyes, gently leaning into my touch. Moving closer to him, I rested my head on his shoulder, wrapping my hands around his waist as I did. We didn't say anything to one another; content in one another's arms.

We often stood this way, not saying or doing anything, just enjoying the closeness an embrace gave.

After some time Carlisle slowly, somewhat reluctantly, pulled away from me, keeping a firm hold on my hand, and cleared his throat quietly.

Everyone, excluding Emmett and Jasper who were wresting outside – _I turn around for less than a minute…well at least they went outside… _- turned to look expectantly at Carlisle.

As did I.


	4. Furry Business

_**Hey Guys!**_

_**A new, longer, chapter for you! My older reader's will notice that this is where the story left off, and that's it's been continued :3 Not by much, but still. Review and Enjoy!**_

_Chapter Four: Furry Business_

_Point of Views: Carlisle, Edward, Bella, Jasper, and Alice._

Carlisle POV:

"Bella?" I called reluctantly, hoping beyond hope she would ignore me.

Bella smiled at me, brightening up her entire face, proving that luck wasn't on my side today. I desperately tried to recall how to work the muscles in my jaw to smile in return, feeling disconnected from my body. Fortunately, relying on some unknown strength, I managed to twitch my lips into the ghost of a smile.

"That was Dr Grady, we're going to have to run a few tests – x-rays and such- to make sure you haven't got any other injuries other than those that I've been able to find. I could try to rearrange the time, but we really do have to do this as soon as possible." I said, babbling, wishing that I could crawl into a hole.

I was sure everyone could see through my pretences, well everyone other than Edward who _always _saw through them.

I hadn't been lying but I wasn't necessarily telling the truth either, that wasn't the primary reason that Dr Grady had called.

"It's okay, I'll go whenever, so long as it's okay for you" Bella said, smiling shyly.

I frowned, it was no bother for me of course, and I could do the tests from home even, but I still didn't want to take Bella to the hospital.

"_Carlisle, really, we live in a house full of vampires, we have no need for medical equipment"_ Esme's voice echoed in my head. She had been right of course, but I'd always had a vague feeling in the pit of my stomach that I should still have medicinal gear at hand, just in case.

"What is it Carlisle?" Edward burst out, irritated.

There was no use even _thinking_ about hiding something in this family, not when a mind reader, empath and psychic lived down the hall – it was absolutely pointless. Yet, it kept us all honest and ultimately, tighter as a family.

"Bella, you'll also have to talk with the police about what happened..." I said quietly, once more wishing she'd ignore me. Perhaps I'd get lucky and a pit would open up at my feet and pull me down.

For a moment I believed luck had decided to come back to me, Bella was staring at her entwined fingers, transfixed, a small crease in between her eyes.

Still concentrating intensely on her hands she whispered "I-I can't...at least not yet..."

I stared sadly at Bella, she was right of course; she couldn't and shouldn't have to deal with this. Children were extremely vulnerable, especially without their parents.

Forcing Bella to relive the event that shattered her life into millions of little pieces would be the opposite of productive; it had the potential to send her over the edge completely, beyond help.

Rosalie, obviously affected by Bella's distress, flitted to her side, grasping her hand gently.

"Its fine, if you don't want to, you don't have to talk to anyone, you shouldn't have to" she whispered, tenderly smoothing Bella's hair as she did.

Bella smiled a little but silent tears continued to cascade down her face, quietly reinforcing Rosalie's argument.

Delicately, we all shuffled out of the room, to give Bella some privacy in her grief. It would be a long time before she accepted her parent's death, and even then she would never be the same.

"Don't ever forget them." Rosalie whispered to Bella behind me. "It's healthy to move on, but you should never forget. You will always have a hole in your heart, it may heal over time, but it will always be there. Cherish it. Cherish the memories you have of them."

Rosalie's words echoed in my mind, as if they held some profound meaning. _Cherish the memories, cherish the memories._

Edward POV:

"Esme?" Alice called sweetly, "Would it be alright with you if, when we all get back, Rose and I take Bella out shopping?" As usual, wearing the most innocent expression she could muster.

From the corner of my eye, I noticed Bella wince rather fiercely, for a brief moment I caught a vague glimpse of something unexpected. A short-lived flood of words flashed through my head, only to disappear as abruptly as it had emerged.

_Not again...don't...mum always...but...if she wants...happy..._

I tried desperately to refrain from staring bewildered at Bella, which would be less than helpful. In a split second of distraction, Bella's thought's had slipped out from under the... the blanket, that was usually hiding her mind. Unlike everyone else's, her thoughts were disjointed and incomplete. What I did pick up was muffled and difficult to understand.

Although I avoided staring at her in bewilderment, I did manage to stare at her in shock, my mouth hanging open._ Good job_ I thought to myself sarcastically.

Bella shifted uneasily from foot to foot and blushed fiercely. Forcing myself to get control over myself, I closed my eyes (and my mouth) and took a deep breath. When I opened my eyes, I found everyone staring at me, confused. Their thoughts mirrored their expressions.

"Ahem...Sorry...I heard you...For second only and only parts, but _still_ _I heard you_" I said urgently, addressing Bella.

She blushed heavily and I instantly regretted saying anything.

Of course, Carlisle was interested, extremely interested, but everyone was a step away from screaming, Jasper especially.

Now wasn't the time, it would be the opposite of helpful to say anything at the moment that would make Bella feel even more alienated.

"We'll talk more about this later" I said, noticing the relief that flooded Bella's face at my words. Confused, I filed everything away for study later.

"I can't take it anymore! You're all crazy!" Jasper burst out "This entire family needs a shrink! I'm going for a walk"

Quickly, he darted out the back door intending to do some light hunting and clear his head.

"Why do we need a shrink when we have you Jazz Muffin?" Emmett called tauntingly. His only reply was the crash of a distant Spruce as it fell to the ground.

"Ah, brotherly love" Rosalie muttered, managing to reveal a century's worth of annoyance in five syllables.

Bella POV: 

I slipped into Carlisle's Mercedes behind Rosalie and Emmett, being especially carefully of my aching ribs.

I'd broken my ribs on several other occasions, so the pain wasn't anything new, but it felt different somehow, more...complete. As if the pain wasn't just in my side, but my entire body.

This new pain would never go away, it was a much a part of me now as my little 'talent'. Terrifying, but still a part of me; inescapable.

As we drove down the driveway, Esme and Rosalie prattling away happily, I could hear the soft chatter that was the forest, gentle and harmonious yet intruding and unwelcome. For as long as I can remember, I've always been different, able to hear and understand what others can't.

At times it was enjoyable and even convenient but more often than not it was a burden that I wish I'd never have. Although my parents insisted it was a 'wonderful gift' I knew they talked about it when they thought I wasn't there; I'd caught them.

I stared at the window, remembering the fishing trips Charlie and I had gone on. Although I was terrible at fishing, it was great to get away from everything and have some quality time with my dad. Typically, many of our trips ended at the ER, I'd either fallen down or cast out...wrong.

Like my mother, Charlie always worried, but unlike her he tried to hide it, unsuccessfully I might add. I _knew_ him, I knew what he was feeling, I knew when he was lying and I knew when something was wrong. It was very rare when he hid something from me. It was somewhat entertaining to watch him fidget and fret about me, it made me feel safe, protected, loved and _wanted_.

Esme's voice pulled me back to the present. I blushed and smiled a little.

"Sorry, I was daydreaming" I said quietly trying not to look at Emmett who was snickering.

"It's quite alright dear; I just asked if you have any ideas about your room." Esme said, smiling sweetly.

I ducked my head. "You really don't need to do all this for me..." I trailed off.

"Pfft, no matter what you say, they're not going to listen to you Bells" Emmett said, glancing warily at Esme when he was finished, relaxing only when he saw that her smile was still in place.

I frowned, only my parents called me Bells. It was odd to think of someone else calling me that. I felt the overwhelming weight that would forever be mine come crashing down on me. I would never again guide Renee away from her latest hobby, never again go fishing with Charlie, and never again see their faces.

I stared out the window at the trees flashing by, trying desperately to keep my tears from overflowing. Every tear that escaped my control hurt Esme more than a thousand knives ever could, I couldn't do that to her, not any more. I _wouldn't_ do that anymore.

Esme and Rosalie prattled on.

Jasper POV:

"She slipped, but it was only for five seconds or so. And it wasn't clear, it was like...like she was under a cover of some sort and everything was muffled" Edward said. He was confused, until now, he'd never come across someone that was protected from his gift. No one had ever blocked him out before and he was out of his depth.

"Are you sure? Maybe you were just imagining things-"Alice said irritated.

"No, no. It was- wait what was that?" Edward cut her off.

"Huh? I said are you sure you didn't imagine it?"

"What? No not you! Jasper" Edward said.

"I didn't say anything." I said. I didn't see Edward roll his eyes, but I did feel the irritation come off him in radioactive waves. I sighed. "Maybe you're just out of your depth, confused. You've never dealt with this before."

I stared out the windscreen, gently guiding Rosalie's M3 (a rare privilege) without paying much attention.

"No, you said," I frowned "fine _thought_ that no one has ever blocked me before" Edward said exasperatedly.

"Well it's true, you've never had to deal with this before so you're out of step. You don't know how to deal with the situation so you're-" I explained.

"Exactly! Nobody's ever _blocked_ me before. What if this is Bella's gift? We've heard of shields before. Aro has one, Renata, the physical shield. What if this is like that?" Edward said, his voice saturated with curiosity and satisfaction.

"But she already has a gift, a powerful one at that, what with her being able to use it as a human." I said. It wasn't possible for vampires to have two gifts, if it was we would have heard of it before. Besides it was highly unlikely that we would stumble upon it in a 12 year old human girl.

"It's not." Edward muttered, defiantly. For a moment he seemed like a child throwing a tantrum. He glared at me "It's not unheard of, they're rare, but there have been instances."

_But that's not possible; they'd have taken over the Vampire world by now!_

"No, sometimes they're small gifts, unknown to the vampire, at other times they're only very weak, only at half their potential." He whispered.

_But then there must have been powerful ones wouldn't they have-_

"There have been. You remember Aro's sister? Didyme? She was one. "Edward said impatiently

"But I thought her gift was joy, that she made those around her happy." Alice piped up.

"Yes, it was...one of them anyway." Edward whispered "You know the story of how Aro became a vampire, later changing his sister in the hopes that she, like him, would have an incredible gift. He was slightly disappointed when it was clear that her gift was to bring happiness to others, but he still believed that she could be useful to his cause."

He paused, unsure how to continue. "A few years after her transformation she discovered another gift, much more valuable than the other, even if she was cautious in using it. She found that, although not entirely reliable she could somewhat manipulate the thoughts of others, related to what Aro could do."

Again Edward paused, trying to find the words "Aro was thrilled of course; he believed that his vision could finally become a reality. But Didyme and Marcus, who were together by then, were less than appreciative. After centuries with the Volturi, they sought to leave. Aro pretended to give his blessing but before they could leave, Didyme was murdered and there are suspicions that Aro had something to do with it. Her death is the reason behind Marcus's zombie like state."

When Edward was done silence followed him, nobody dared say a word, too caught up in their own thoughts and feelings. I tried to lighten the mood a little, knowing that if Alice was left in her current emotional state nothing would bring her out; sometimes she seemed too fragile to be a vampire.

Thankfully Edward broke the silence, "So to answer you, there have been Dual Vampires, as they're called, but it is rare that anyone knows or believes in them anymore, they've become nothing more than vampire folklore."

Alice POV:

"But what has that got to do with Bella? Are you saying she's a 'dual vampire'?" I said sceptically. The way Edward explained it, it sounded as if a Dual Vampire occurred once in a blue moon, so what were the chances of Jasper finding a _human_ with her gifts already unlocked.

Edward sighed, "I'll admit the chances are slim, Alice. But it's not impossible."

"Hmmph"' I muttered. Crossing my arms, I sunk lower into my seat. "Things would be so much easier if I could _see_ clearer."

In my peripheral vision I saw Jasper glance at me worriedly. I sighed; sometimes he worried and overreacted too much.

"I'm fine Jazz, just annoyed" I huffed.

Jasper chuckled nervously, "I know" he murmured.

"I'm still not convinced, Edward." I muttered. It was just so damn unlikely. In my long life I'd never heard of anything like this and now that it was being forced on me...

Arrgg, things would be so much easier if I wasn't going in blind.

"Neither am I, well not completely, but it's my leading theory" Edward sighed "there are some things I still need to figure out until I'm positive"

I groaned; things were getting too complicated these days, ("You're telling me") although nothing had ever been simple in the first place.

"All I know is that I'm going to leave the thinking to you, I'll be too busy dealing with everyone and their schizophrenia" Jasper said, chuckling.

I knew what he was doing. Although he tried desperately to hide it from me, I knew he hated seeing me upset. When he saw I was looking he'd rearrange his expression and try to hide it, but his eyes always betrayed him and revealed his pain.

It always killed me that I'm the cause of his pain.

As the hospital came into a view, an unwavering feeling of dread filled me. No vision flashed before my eyes, no feeling of intuition struck me, only a deep unshakable sense of anxiety. I glanced at Jasper, worried he'd noticed, but he was staring dreamily at the road ahead, a smile playing on his lips.

I didn't bother to check to see if Edward knew, I already _knew_ he did, the nosy vampire. I sighed, the feeling hadn't disappeared, on the contrary, it had intensified.

.::.

_A rather old man, with a young boy trailing behind him pushed through the door. His eyes, full of grief, roamed the room, widening slightly as they fell upon Rosalie, and seemed to brighten marginally when he saw Bella, safe and unharmed._

"_Bella, how are you feeling?" He said frantically, taking a step forward._

_Bella looked up slowly, frowning a little and said bitingly "Oh, I'm fiiinne. Just peachy, Billy."_

_Unfazed by Bella's open hostility, Billy said "We came as soon as we heard, I'm so sorry."_

_Silence crept in after him, not a comfortable or grieving silence, but one filled with tension and fear. Carefully, Carlisle stood up; slowly advancing towards Billy with his right hand extended warmly, his ever youthful face pulled up in a smile._

"_I don't believe we've met" he began, "I'm Dr. Carlisle Cullen, my son, Jasper, and I found Bella."_

_Although he accepted Carlisle hand, somewhat unwillingly, Billy said "I know who you are."_

_Until now I hadn't noticed the smell that had entered the room with the man. I winced; this man and boy were not to be trusted._

.::.

"Alice!" Someone yelled urgently. "What did you see?"

I lurched forward in my seat, narrowly avoiding hitting the dashboard, hands gripping my knees, breathing heavily. As the cool air rattled down my throat, I tried frantically to gain control of myself and find the words to explain what I had seen.

Slowly I brought myself up and looked into Jasper's agonized eyes, "We've got problems" I whispered.

Although visibly anxious, Jasper chuckled, "When don't we?"

"Alice, is there anything else?" Edward said urgently, ignoring Jasper.

I shook my head, "Give me a second, it's becoming harder to see..."

I wrapped my hands around my knees, rocking gently back and forth, concentrating completely on this man and boy.

.::.

_Emmett growled almost silently, sending rays of hatred at Billy and the unknown boy. Although _boy _was a loose description; physically he could be a 25 year old man. Carlisle frowned at Emmett._

"_Now, now, there's no need for–"_

.::.

I gasped once more. The future cut out completely, realising my deepest fear. We were going in blind.

Jasper POV:

"We can't go in there, we have to turn around" Alice said frantically, jerking her head around in the manner of a cornered deer; desperate to find freedom, yet knowing it was impossible.

"Alice, what happened? We can't stop whatever it is until you tell me." I said, struggling to appear calm.

Now rocking back and forth in a foetal position, Alice mumbled, more to herself than me, "We've all vanished. Nothing I can do...being blocked...can't _see"_

Alice's panic was slowly taking a hold of my spine, forcing my breath to rattle erratically down my throat. I grinded my teeth together with enough force to bring a 3 ton truck to an abrupt halt, in a frantic attempt to keep control over myself.

I tried to focus on the road in front of me, the straights and the soft curves. But that only helped to heighten my anxiety. We were less than a couple kilometres away from the hospital now. The large building would soon be plainly visible amongst the trees.

Although large, the hospital was dwarfed by some of the tallest spruces. If it weren't for the faint smell of disinfectant and the vague institutional atmosphere, a person's imagination could run wild and see a small cottage nestled in the woods.

I unconsciously let the M3's speed drop significantly, almost to a crawl. Everything seemed surreal. It seemed moments ago that I'd almost committed an atrocity in the classroom. Nothing seemed _real_ anymore.

I stared out the window trying to find sense in the madness. The view was magnificent of course, on any other day I would have to stopped and stared for hours. The light was gleaming of the still moist leaves throwing rainbows too faint for human eyes. But now it only served to remind me of the monster I was.

_With a high pitched grating sound, the girl laid today's work on the table. She placed it in the centre of the table but it was obvious that she planned to do all the work, how right she was. I glanced at the tray in front of me._

_A boring brown colour, the dish was a standard one of a design that had been around since before I went through high school the first time. The most interesting thing about it was the dead frog lying inside. The work was traditional enough. Dissection. _

_Not wasting any time with pleasantries, she poised the scalpel over the creature. _

The Mercedes pulled over the side of the road. Carlisle stepped out of it, leaving it idling. With quick flitting movements he moved back towards the M3, a worried looked plastered on his face. A second or two later he patiently tapped on my window.

Moving nothing other than my hand, I lowered the window. The sound of the forest became more pronounced than before, frantic to prove that it could not be defeated by glass.

Glancing at all the occupants of the car, Carlisle tensed. "What's happened?" he asked warily.

I glanced cautiously at Alice; she was still rocking gently back and forth, mumbling indistinctly. I turned back to Carlisle, and whispered, "We've all disappeared" and proceeded to briefly explain Alice's vision.

When I was finished and Carlisle and had asked a few quick questions of Alice, everyone returned to their silence, not daring to so much as breathe. After what seemed an age Carlisle sighed wearily.

"There isn't much we can do I'm afraid, we cannot _not_ take Bella the hospital. We'll just have to be cautious."

I suppressed a growled and nodded my head, the loud revving of the car the only thing revealing my true feelings. Carlisle grimaced, but jogged back to his Mercedes, the sound of his door slamming startling a few nearby animals.

Just as the sound finished echoing off the trees, one of the rear doors opened and Bella carefully climbed out heading towards the forest. Alice, who was once more trying desperately to see the future, hadn't noticed anything, but Edward was already opening his door and climbing out. Alice gasped, and climbed out with him.

I followed suit.

Bella POV:

The forest around the car suddenly came to a standstill, allowing me to notice little details invisible at our previous speed. A squirrel darted nimbly across tree branches, jumping and climbing until it finally disappeared from view.

Slowly the forest became alive before my eyes. Trees swayed, animals slinked through the dense foliage and the last of yesterday's rain trickled down from the leaves, a beautiful scene that gradually lifted my spirit and reminded me of my love for Forks.

Smiling slightly, I glanced at Carlisle. He whispered something to Esme, smiled at me and then, disappeared. Only the open driver's door gave a clue as to where he went. I peeked through the rear-view mirror and sure enough, Carlisle was leaning through the driver's window of Rosalie's M3, talking every so often.

I tore my eyes away from the window, feeling ashamed at invading their privacy.

Rosalie squeezed my hand lightly and started drawing little circles on the back of my thumb. Blushing I smiled up at her, once more amazed at the look of love she wore when she looked at me. _You're just imagining thing, seeing things that which cannot possibly be there. _I told myself.

Esme and Rosalie were still talking about my room ("Oh it'll be beautiful Rose! I can see it already!") So, following Emmett's example, I returned to staring aimlessly out the window.

The forest had become more alive since the last time I looked. The squirrel had returned and was now foraging on the forest floor; occasionally it would find something and run off, only to return moments later.

The small trickle of water which had dropped from a few leaves here and there was now coming down in earnest. The sky, which earlier this morning had been clear and dry, was now overcast; rain drizzling down in places.

What had previously looked like a rare sunny day full of promise, had now transformed into a dark and foreboding nightmare.

Gradually I became aware of distant howls, coming from all around, shattering the feeling of peace and abandon. I sat up a little straighter and tried to concentrate on which direction the howls were coming from, but it was impossible, the windows and rain were against me.

I jumped when Carlisle returned. Small crystals of rain in his hair, Carlisle climbed into the car, shaking his head a little. My smile quickly became a frown when I saw the fear in his eyes. Something was wrong.

The howls, which could previously have passed off as the wind, were now no longer ignorable. The hair on my neck was standing up, telling me what my conscious mind couldn't understand, something was wrong. Feeling awkward, I undid my seat belt and opened my door.

I quickly wished that I had brought a jacket; the rain was light, but freezing. I ducked my head in an attempt to keep the rain out of my face. Vaguely, I heard Rosalie and Esme call for me but I was concentrating too hard to notice.

Something was wrong, something nobody other than me could see. Vaguely I was aware that I was worrying everyone but it was quickly swamped by my other senses which were telling me that something was seriously wrong.

It had been a long time since I'd done anything of this nature but this was different. _I had to. _

Always staring at the forest floor before my feet, I trudged into the forest knowing instinctively both that everyone was following me and what I had to do.

Carefully I made my way over to the previously happy Squirrel which was now frozen in place by fear. When there was only 3 metres between us, I crouched down making sure all my moves were known and anticipated.

Quietly I did what had always come naturally to me. Although I knew that to everyone else I looked downright stupid, I was urged on by the panicked howling that had become gradually more pronounced.

"It's okay. I'm not going to hurt you. I promise. I need your help" I whispered.

As I spoke the squirrel flinched and tensed, ready to flee to the nearest tree at the first sign of danger. The fact that it hadn't already fled was saying something on its own.

"It's alright now, I won't hurt you, and in fact I won't touch you at all. Like I said I need your help, do you think you could do that for me?"

Slowly, testing me, the little guy dropped down onto its paws and cautiously made its way towards me, always watchful and ready to dash away.

"That's okay; you can stay over there if you like." I whispered quietly, but he only ignored me.

Suddenly the Squirrel dashed forward and sniffed my slightly outstretched hand, jumping back quickly once it was done. Throughout this performance I stayed still - almost as still as my new family who I suspected weren't even breathing - knowing the flighty nature of the creature.

Content that I meant it no harm, the squirrel came forward once more, slowly yet more confidently than before, and sniffed my hand at length. Seeming satisfied, he proceeded to nudge my pocket insistently.

"Oh. You're a smart boy." I giggled; I pulled a bar of chocolate out of my pocket which Esme had given me earlier. I hadn't wanted it so I'd put it away, planning to eat it later.

I tore open the bar carefully, talking constantly, and proceeded to break it into three pieces. Placing one on the palm of my hand, I held it out to the small brown and white ball of fluff before me.

"You hear that? Sounds like someone's gotten himself into a little mess." tentatively he took the chocolate from me, sniffed it and started nibbling on it, always keeping eye contact with me. "Now don't you think we should help them?"

Staring at the squirrel happily chewing on the candy bar, I realised how hungry I actually was, it seemed that those sandwiches I had eaten earlier had gone nowhere. I popped one of the chocolaty morsels onto my tongue and let it rest there, let it melt.

Having since forgotten me due to me silence, the squirrel continued munching away, obviously pleased. All too soon it seemed, he finished the treat and looked at me longingly. I held out the last remaining chocolate.

"But this time, you have to help me first." I said. After a longing look at the candy, the Squirrel looked up at me intently. "Can you take me to him, to the one howling?"

The squirrel jumped a little but after casting another longing look at the chocolate, he jumped up and trotted off. When it was clear that I wasn't following, he trotted back a little then whirled and headed off in the same direction as before.

I glanced back at the others, seeing looks ranging from confusion to downright awe. I smiled sheepishly but turned around and trudged into the woods after my new furry friend.

I was surprised how brave he seemed. It was at a contrast to his current appearance. A small animal surrounded by a dark and dangerous forest, full of predators and other hidden dangers. Yet to me, he seemed as brave as a lion.

Carefully, always concentrating on where I was going to place my foot, I trudged through the forest after my little Leo. I'd never really taken the time to appreciate the beauty of Forks forests, which is strange seeing as everything is forest. It was actually quite beautiful. The moss and the trees were in perfect harmony, living together as one, forever bound. I guess it takes a great tragedy to bring people to their senses.

It wasn't long until someone noiselessly came up behind me and placed a hand on my shoulder, I don't think I was even out of sight of the road yet. Although gentle, the hand was restraining and stopped my from continuing any further.

Slowly I turned around and came face to face with Edward. I sighed, I hadn't known the Cullen's for long, yet already I knew that Edward was, for lack of a better term, the emotional one. No, that doesn't fit either; it was more like he was the one that over exaggerated everyone's worries. I guess it's understandable though. If you're exposed to everyone's thoughts, you get all sides of the picture and possibly become a little neurotic.

But as I prepared myself for Edward's outburst, I noticed he wasn't looking at me, but at the place where Leo had disappeared. He didn't look scared per say, but anxious, worried and confused.

I jumped a little when my other shoulder, too, became occupied.

"Can you hear anything Edward?" Jasper asked tensely. He wasn't looking at me either; his eyes kept roaming the forest, never staying in one spot for longer than a moment.

I wasn't sure, but I thought I heard Edward whisper "Nothing more than you..."

I sighed; I knew what this was about. Realising they weren't going to let me go any further, I ducked down out of Edward's and Jasper's grasps and started forward again. It wasn't long before I was stopped.

"Wait, Bella" Jasper said grasping my wrist. I exhaled noisily and tried unsuccessfully to pull away from his clutches. Rolling his eyes Jasper snickered. I glared at him; he was enjoying himself, it was quite obvious. I knew however that behind his amusement, there was fear.

I huffed, there was really nothing to worry about, they were both over reacting. Well, actually all of them were, I hadn't noticed until now that everyone else was standing behind them.

"Arrgg" I groaned and promptly sat down on the grass, in a typical tantrum position that is often seen with toddlers. Resting my chin on my hand I glared off into the forest. It must have looked quite strange, a girl my age throwing a tantrum, in the middle of the forest, with one arm raised still in Jasper's grasp.

It wasn't long before a few chuckles sounded, as well as a full blown guffaw from Emmett. Blushing profusely I looked around; finding looks of amusement on everyone's faces, except for one. I hadn't really expected Edward to laugh, but it was a little disappointing to see that he was still staring at the trees.

Realising how ridiculous I looked sitting on the ground, I heaved myself up with the help of Jaspers outstretched hand, wincing slightly at the pain in my ribs.

"Jasper?" I asked.

"Hmm?"

"Do you think it's at all possible that I can have my arm back?" I asked glaring at him.

"What? Why? It's not like it's your arm" Jasper said mischievously. I rolled my eyes and tried pulling my arm out of his grasp. He let me struggle for a minute, but eventually let go, making me fall onto my butt.

"Nice one Bella!" Emmett snickered. "Next time you'll squish him!" Confused, I turned around to see Leo crouching a few centimetres behind me looking positively terrified. I brushed myself off hastily and got up; ignoring Jasper's outstretched hand this time.

I hadn't taken two steps forward before my hand was once more ensnared in Jasper's inescapable grasp. Glaring, I spun around, only to find that it wasn't Jasper that held my arm, but Edward.

"Bella, where are you going?" He asked cautiously, almost as if he was afraid of my answer.

"Don't you hear it?" I asked, cocking my head.

"Hear what?" Edward asked, frowning. I started feeling really uncomfortable. It was true, no one else could understand the meaning behind the grunts and growls animals made, but this was the first time when I was the only one to hear the sound.

"You mean you don't hear the wolves?" I asked slowly. My only answer was a brief shake of everyone's head's.

I hesitated, something was wrong. According to Emmett, Vampires had heightened senses. So why couldn't they hear something I could. Suddenly, the howling reached a new intensity, more demanding, commanding even. It was clear what it wanted.

"_Help me! Please! Come here! Why won't you help me?COME HEEEERRRREEE!"_

I brought my hands to my head, trying desperately to break away from the voice that had suddenly taken over my mind. I was vaguely aware of the forest around me, Edward's hand clutching my arm and the worried faces around me. Shaking my head, I tried to stay in my own head. As strange as it sounds, I felt like somebody was ripping my mind from my body and forcing into somewhere unfamiliar and frightening.

"_She's not coming. No, I can't do anything! They wouldn't have left her side anyway! We'll get her... not now. Not today...come on let's...we have to... meet Billy."_

"Bella!" I heard someone cry. I was shocked out of my hallucination by cold hands touching my face. The tone of their voice was enough to send me into a fit. Panic, awe, and wonder were all woven into such an intricate pattern that each individual emotion was hard to depict, coming together to form a voice that angels would be jealous of.

After a rapid attack of blinking, I noticed Alice crouched in front of me, cupping my face in her hands.

"Breathe Bella, its fine." She whispered, stroking my hair and kissing my cheek. I tried to regulate my breathing in a desperate attempt to calm down. I gradually lowered myself to the ground, noticing that quite a crowd had gathered around me. Beside Alice, Esme, Rosalie and Emmett had gathered around me.

Jasper, Carlisle and Edward stood a few metres away from me, talking very quickly and seeming agitated. Before I could ask, they ran off into the forest, in the direction which the howls had been coming from moments ago.

It was then that I noticed. It hadn't been Alice who had yelled my name. It was Edward.

Edward POV:

I watched as Bella climbed out of Carlisle car, stumbling slightly. Shaking herself, she trudged down into the forest.

Confused yet entranced, I climbed out of Rosalie's M3, Alice and Jasper following me moments later. I let Bella walk ahead on her own, curious to see what she was doing. I frowned as she paused in front of a squirrel, crouching down in front of it.

"It's okay. I'm not going to hurt you. I promise. I need your help" Bella whispered.

I laughed quietly, realising that I had expected her to squeak and whine. At her words, the creature tensed, muscle bunching as it readied itself for flight. Bella must have noticed this as well as she said quietly:

"It's alright now, I won't hurt you, and in fact I won't touch you at all. Like I said I need your help, do you think you could do that for me?"

I frowned; absorbed as I had been in Bella talking to a _Squirrel, _I hadn't noticed that she'd asked it for help. I turned to Jasper, confusion transforming my face.

"What does she need its help for?" I whispered.

Jasper turned to me, his expression mirroring mine and shrugged deliberately. Shaking his head he turned back to Bella, I followed his example after a quick sweep of everyone's minds.

_I have no idea, this is so beyond what normally happens...I just...I don't... Arrgg I'm so tired._

_Well this IS fascinating! She's actually communicating with the animal! I'll have to look into this in more detail later but I can tell she has a powerful gift... Powerful _gifts_._

_Oh that's so adorable! Look at her, talking to it! Awww..._

_What if it bites her? It might have Rabies! __Oh god, what if she gets sick from the rain-_

_I can't see what's going to happen, even If I change my decisions, still nothing!_

_Would you look at that! She really can talk to it! It'd be a lot cooler though if it talked back ...I wonder if I can convince Esme to suspend that sentence..._

The creature had dropped to its paws and was sniffing the air, obviously terrified of our vampire scent. Although this creature would hardly have enough blood to sustain a vampire for any given amount of time, it was still wary, knowing that it stood only metres away from death.

Slowly, the little thing made its way towards Bella, ever wary.

"That's okay; you can stay over there if you like." Bella whispered quietly, but the squirrel continued to inch closer to her.

Suddenly, the creature ran forward and sniffed Bella's outstretched hand, jumping away in equal suddenness. She seemed slightly surprised at his sudden movement but she stayed calm. With my heightened senses, I had noticed the sudden bunching of the rodent's muscles, but Bella being merely human, hadn't.

Satisfied that Bella meant it no harm, the creature once again came forward, this time wary, but slightly more confident. He sniffed Bella's hand again, this time lingering to smell her at length. The rodent caught scent of the chocolate Esme had given Bella earlier confident and hungry he nudged and sniffed the pocket where it was hidden.

Bella giggled happily "Oh. You're a smart boy." She laughed.

Reaching into her pocket, Bella pulled out the brightly coloured chocolate bar and opened it partially. She broke the bar into three pieces and offered one to the squirrel, talking all the while.

"You like chocolate don't you? Here, take it." She whispered, smiling. "You hear that? Sounds like someone's gotten himself into a little mess."

Seeming reassured by Bella's talking and pleased by the offer; the rat took the chunk of chocolate and nibbled it happily.

"Now don't you think we should help them?" she continued.

I glanced at my family "Does anyone hear anything?" I whispered.

"No, I thought you would" Jasper said, surprised. I shook my head, provoking 5 surprised and worried expressions. I turned back to Bella, to find her taking a chocolate and putting it in her mouth. I found myself hoping that the rat hadn't touched it, that couldn't be hygienic. I was surprised when I heard the Esme and Rosalie were thinking the same thing.

_Oh god_ I thought to myself_ I'm turning into a worrying mother!_

By now the squirrel had finished its chocolate and was silently pleading with Bella for more (or at least, it was silent to me, I didn't know if he was speaking with Bella, after all, I'm just the mind reader).

Smiling slightly, Bella held out the remaining chocolate, but didn't completely offer it.

"But this time, you have to help me first." she said. The rodent started intently at the last chocolate, obviously tempted to take it. He shook himself and (with apparently great difficulty) focused on Bella, causing her to smile beautifully.

"Can you take me to him, to the one howling?" she asked sweetly. At her question, the rodent twitched slightly, the smell of fear coming off him. I watched as his eyes darted between Bella and her outstretched hand which held the chocolate. With longing shining in his eyes, the rat trotted off. When Bella didn't follow, he paused, backtracked and then headed off again, seeming irritated. If I weren't so confused and awed, I would have laughed.

Before following her new friend, Bella turned and glanced at us sheepishly. I watched as her eyes roamed over everyone's faces, reading our confused and awed expressions like pages in a book. She smiled sheepishly before heading off deeper in the Forks wilderness.

Jasper POV:

I watched as Bella trudged into the forest, too awed to move. It wasn't helping that I had to feel everyone's emotions. Confusion, surprise, awe, fear, anxiety, fascination all coursed through me, threatening to overtake, threatening to control. As I fought with my emotions, I didn't notice that Bella had left my sight. Panicking I ran forward, vaguely aware that my family followed me.

As Bella came into view, I slowed, but didn't stop. Walking now, I watched as Edward dashed forward and placed a hand on Bella's shoulder. She tried to continue forward, but Edward's hand restrained her gently. Slowly, exaggeratedly Bella turned to face Edward. Irritation and acceptance crept over to me as she looked at his worried expression. I watched, amused, as she rearranged her face and tensed, she seemed to be preparing for either fight or flight. I disguised my laugh as a quiet cough, earning looks from Emmett.

Annoyance brightened Bella's eyes as she noticed that Edward wasn't looking at her. Knowing she was about to say something, I darted forward, placing my hand on her other shoulder, causing Bella to jump slightly. I ignored her as she glanced up at me.

_Can you hear anything Edward?_ I asked in my mind, but was left unanswered.

"Can you hear anything Edward?" I repeated. I frowned as I noticed the tension in my voice. In an attempt to avoid Bella's questioning eyes, I looked over the forest, looking for any sign of the creature Bella was trying to 'help'.

Edward laughed tensely, too quiet for Bella to hear "Nothing more than you..." he said equally quietly, but from the worry that came off Bella, I suspected that she heard. I heard he sigh, exasperated.

Quickly, Bella ducked out of our grasps and continued forward. I rolled my eyes. _I think she's forgetting that we're Vampires, Edward._

I dashed forward, grasping Bella's wrist. "Wait, Bella" I said loudly. Bella, sighed loudly and tried to pull her hand out of mine, but I didn't let her. Laughing, I rolled my eyes. Even after Emmett's demonstration of our strength, she still thought she could get away from me.

Bella glared at me, irritation, annoyance and annoyance coming off her in waves. I let delight transform my features, hoping Bella didn't notice that it was an attempt to hide my concern.

Bella huffed loudly, reminding me of Rosalie.

Groaning in annoyance, Bella dropped to the ground, crossing her legs and resting her chin in her free hand, glaring off into the wilderness. I laughed at her, not only did she look childish but the fact that I still grasped her wrist made it seem even more humorous.

Emmett found Bella incredibly funny and subsequently, so did I. I tried desperately to hold back my laughter and was glad well Bella looked away. I watched as her face became a brighter red as she registered everyone's amusement. However, she seemed disappointed (yet unsurprised) when she noticed that Edward had continued to survey the forest with a wary eye.

Blushing brightly, Bella pulled herself up from the ground using my already extended hand. I flinched as Bella's ribs flashed, grinding my teeth to keep myself from crying out in pain. I was surprised that Bella only winced. _She strong_ I commented to myself.

"Jasper?" Bella called, pulling me out of my train of thought.

"Hmm? I replied distractedly.

"Do you think it's at all possible that I can have my arm back?" Bella asked, glaring at me, her eyes darting between her wrist and my face.

I laughed mischievously "What? Why? It's not like it's your arm" I said cheekily.

Rolling her eyes, Bella tried to pull her hand out of my grip. Chuckling, I let Bella resist for a moment before releasing my hold on her, causing her to fall back to the forest floor, narrowly avoiding falling on top of the rodent she'd been talking with earlier.

Emmett guffawed, "Nice one Bella! Next time you'll squish him!" he laughed. Seeming confused, Bella turned to stare at her friend, who appeared to be both terrified and irritated. Bella smiled in apology, blushing, behaving as if she had deeply offended a friend.

I stretched out my hand to help Bella get up, but she only glared at me. I snickered quietly. I watched as she brushed dirt, twigs and leaves off her clothes and started off again. Rolling my eyes, I went to grab her wrist once more, but Edward beat me to it. Bella must have thought it was me again because she whirled around angrily, glaring. I snickered as her eyes widened and she blushed.

Edward POV:

"Bella, where are you going?" I asked, staring hard at Bella. Honestly, I was afraid she'd gone insane.

"Don't you hear it? She asked, turning her head to the side. If it weren't for the current situation, I would have found her incredibly funny at that moment. As it was, I stared deep into her eyes, trying to see if this was a joke. I found nothing but confusion and anxiety.

"Hear what?" I asked, frowning. With my question, Bella's heart sped up. As her heart galloped in my ears and under my finger tips, her face contorted into a look of fear and confusion, highlighting how innocent she really was. It really wasn't fair how a person this young, this vulnerable, this innocent, had been through the horrors she had.

I'd seen some horrific things in my lifetime. Hell, I had _hunted_ some pretty horrific things. So I could empathise with what she was going through, but I couldn't _sympathise_. Even Jasper, who was an empath, could not sympathise with what Bella had experienced as he too, had never been the victim. The most horrific thing that both he and I had been victims of was our transformation, but that did not compare to Bella's tragic life.

Forever, Bella would only be a shadow of herself, having lost one of the biggest parts of her life. It is said that children depend on their parents until adulthood, and then after the parents depend on the children. So what was to happen to this innocent girl whose life had been disrupted by some ice on the road?

So lost in my thoughts as I was, I missed Bella's question, but a quick surf through everyone's minds solved that problem. _"You mean you don't hear the wolves?" _The question echoed in my mind. Wolves? No, there were no wolves. I glanced around the forest quickly, letting all my senses range out, but I didn't catch a scent or sound of any canines.

Was there something that I was missing? Had I suddenly gone deaf or was there something wrong with Bella? I shook my head, trying to clear it of craziness. Vaguely, I was aware that everyone else shook their heads along with me.

As soon as I made that tiny movement, I regretted it. Bella's eyes widened and her pulse sped up to a speed that could not have been healthy. Suddenly, Bella cried out softly squeezed her eyes shut and brought her hands up to her temples.

"Bella!" Esme called, horrified. I vaguely noticed that everyone had rushed over and were debating about what was happening. What they should do, how could we help her, was she in pain, was someone doing this to her? But I didn't pay attention, Bella needed my help. I grabbed her arms and shook her gently.

"Bella? Bella, what is it? What's wrong?" I whispered urgently, however, I wasn't sure that she heard me. Shaking her head, Bella's eyelids fluttered.

"Bella!" I yelled.

_She's ...coming. No ... can't do anything! They wouldn't ...left her ...anyway! We'll get her... not now...come on...have to...Billy. _

I gasped as the voiced faded away. Breathing heavily, I staggered away from Bella and stood a small distance away, my hands on my knees.

"Edward? What is it?" Jasper asked urgently, worry and fear lacing his voice.

_Is the same thing happening to him? Are they under attack?_

"No...No Jazz. I'm fine" I whispered in between breaths. Standing up straighter I continued "I heard her again, but...it wasn't her, someone was _in her head_. They were practically screaming. I heard what she heard, the Howling I mean."

Carlisle and Jasper were crowded around me, the others around Bella, who had come around. I continued, knowing that the others would hear what I was saying. I told them what I had heard.

"It was already disjointed the way Bella was hearing it, but because the connection to her mind is blocked, I heard less of it than she did." I finished.

Jasper looked angry, but Carlisle was as calm as ever. "Do you know where they are? They could have been making an attempt to take Bella. This may connect to the vision Alice had earlier"

"Yes" I said "I think it does. Come on, I know where they were, maybe we can figure out what's going on" I dashed off, knowing that they were following me, knowing that the others would protect Bella, but still afraid. Afraid because I _didn't know_ what was going on.


End file.
